PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Getting back on the mound late last season was important for Noah Syndergaard.The New York Mets star went on the disabled list after tearing a lat muscle on April 30 in his fifth start, a 23-5 loss to Washington.He made a pair of brief minor league appearances at the start of September, then had two short outings for New York in the season's final 10 days, totaling three innings."You don't want to go into the offseason in a rehab protocol. I worked so hard for four months that I felt I needed a little bit of a reward to go out there and have success and show that I can come back from a serious injury like that healthy," he said Wednesday in his first appearance at pre-spring training workouts.The 25-year-old right-hander is the ace of the rotation under new manager Mickey Callaway, who replaced Terry Collins. He heads a staff that includes Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler, a quintet that combined for just 86 starts last year."I think if... [More]

OF Juan Lagares was activated from the disabled list Thursday, taking the roster spot of Jay Bruce. Bruce was traded to the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night. Lagares has been out since June 16 with a fractured left thumb. He is .269 with a .725 OPS in 47 games.

CF Juan Lagares (broken left thumb) played in his eighth rehab game for Double-A Binghamton on Wednesday, when he went 1-for-5 while playing the first nine innings of an 11-inning game in center field. It was the second straight game in which Lagares had played nine innings and the third time he had played nine innings on the rehab assignment. The Mets wanted Lagares to play at least a couple nine-inning games before they considered bringing him back to the majors, so he could be activated during a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies that begins Thursday. Lagares, who was injured while trying to make a diving catch June 15 and was placed on the 10-day disabled list the next day, is batting .241 with no RBIs for Binghamton. He is hitting .269 with two homers and eight RBIs in 47 games for the Mets.

CF Juan Lagares (broken left wrist) played in his seventh rehab game for Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday, when he went 1-for-4 while playing all nine innings in centerfield. It was the second nine-inning game for Lagares - notable because manager Terry Collins said last weekend that Lagares needed to play at least a couple full games before the Mets consider activating him. Lagares, who was injured while trying to make a diving catch June 15 and placed on the 10-day disabled list the next day, is batting .250 with no RBIs for Binghamton. He is hitting .269 with two homers and eight RBIs in 47 games for the Mets this season.

CF Juan Lagares (broken left thumb) played in his sixth rehab game for Double-A Binghamton Sunday, when he went 2-for-4 with a run scored while playing five innings in center field. It was the second multi-hit effort of the rehab stint for Lagares, who is batting .250 with no RBIs but has played all nine innings just once at Binghamton, which means he is likely still at least a couple days away from being activated by the Mets. Lagares was injured while trying to make a diving catch on June 15 and was placed on the 10-day disabled list the next day. He is batting .269 with two homers and eight RBIs in 47 games this season.

CF Juan Lagares (broken left thumb) played in his fifth rehab game Saturday, when he went 0-for-4 while playing all nine innings in centerfield for Double-A Binghamton. It was the first complete game on the rehab assignment for Lagares, who is 3-for-16 for Binghamton. Lagares was scheduled to play nine innings Friday before rain forced the game to be called after six innings. Mets manager Terry Collins said Saturday afternoon that Lagares needed to play at least one or two nine-inning games before the club would consider activating him from the disabled list. The Mets are off Monday, so assuming Lagares plays nine innings again Sunday, he could be a candidate to be activated prior to Tuesday's game against the Texas Rangers. Lagares was injured while trying to make a diving catch June 15 and was placed on the 10-day disabled list the next day. He is batting .269 with two home runs and eight RBIs in 47 games this season.

CF Juan Lagares (broken left thumb) played in his fourth rehab game for Double-A Binghamton on Friday night and he went 1-for-3 while playing six innings in center field before the game was called due to rain. Lagares is 3-for-12 with no homers or RBIs for Binghamton. He is likely to play in a few more games before the Mets consider activating him from the disabled list. Lagares was injured while trying to make a diving catch June 15 and was placed on the 10-day disabled list the next day. He is batting .269 with two homers and eight RBIs in 47 games this season.

CF Juan Lagares (fractured left thumb) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton and went 2-for-3 while playing five innings in center field. He has been on the disabled list since June 16.

CF Juan Lagares (broken IP joint in his left thumb) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday. Lagares was injured Thursdaynight, when he dove while trying to catch a sinking liner by Nationals 3B Anthony Rendon. There is no timetable for Lagares' return. The trip to the disabled list is the fifth of Lagares' five-year career and the third in the last two seasons due to a left thumb injury. He was placed on the disabled list exactly a year ago Friday with a sprained left thumb and remained on the shelf until July 2. He was sidelined again, this time due to a torn ligament in the thumb, from July 29 through Sept. 16. Lagares is batting .269 with two homers and eight RBIs in 47 games this season, including .379 with one homer and six RBIs in his last nine games dating back to June 6.

CF Juan Lagares (broken left thumb) is headed to the disabled list after getting injured while trying to make a diving catch in the fifth inning of the Mets' 8-3 loss to the Nationals on Thursday night. Lagares was visited by manager Terry Collins and a trainer after he dove for an RBI single by Nationals 3B Anthony Rendon but remained in the game for the remainder of the top half of the frame before being pinch-hit for by OF Curtis Granderson in the bottom of the inning. The Mets will likely have a timetable for Lagares' return on Friday. The injury occurred just as Lagares was heating up -- he batted .379 in his last nine games -- and earning a larger share of playing time in what was a four-man outfield rotation. This is the third time in the last two seasons Lagares has suffered a left thumb injury that required a trip to the disabled list. He was twice shelved last season by a sprained left thumb. Lagares is batting .269 with two homers and eight RBIs in 47 games this season.

CF Juan Lagares, a Gold Glove winner in 2015, was activated on Thursday after missing the first nine games due to a left oblique injury. He went 0-for-3. Lagares is New York's best defensive outfielder but may struggle to find playing time due to a loaded Mets team. The Mets have three outfielders who hit at least 30 homers last season -- Yoenis Cespedes, Curtis Granderson and Jay Bruce -- and they also have red-hot Michael Conforto.

OF Juan Lagares (left oblique) is progressing to the point where he could play in a rehab game on Monday. Lagares was injured during spring training, and if there are not any issues in the rehab game, he could return by the middle or end of next week.

OF Juan Lagares (left oblique strain) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Sunday, retroactive to March 30. Lagares was injured during a Grapefruit League game on March 25 but has already begun working out and is expected to return at some point in April. He is expected to serve as a fourth outfielder this season for the Mets after batting .239 with three homers and nine RBIs in 79 games last season.

General manager Sandy Alderson expressed his faith in the New York Mets' core talent and its ability to produce a franchise-record third straight playoff berth by making no major additions or subtractions to the team that fell to the San Francisco Giants in the National League wild-card game."We have roughly the same squad coming back, but I do think we have the capacity to improve, whether that comes through injury or experience or growth of some of the young players," Alderson said at his season-opening press conference in February. "I really think that we have the potential to be better than we have been."Of course, to reach that potential, everything will have to go according to plan -- which, for a famously star-crossed franchise, is almost as unprecedented as three straight playoff trips. And sure enough, the Mets were reminded of the fragile nature of their 2017 hopes as they prepared to break camp in the final days of March.Left-hander Steven Matz, expected to be the fourth starter... [More]

OF Juan Lagares (oblique) was injured during the final weekend of Grapefruit League play. An MRI revealed only inflammation and Lagares is hopeful he can be available on Opening Day.

CF Juan Lagares was activated from the 15-day disabled list Friday, when he did not play in the Mets' 3-0 win over the Twins. He is expected to serve as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner down the stretch as the Mets pursue a wild card berth. Lagares was placed on the disabled list July 29 due to torn ligaments in his left thumb and underwent surgery two days later. The disabled list stint was the second of the season for Lagares, who originally hurt the thumb while making a diving catch on June 4. He was eventually placed on the disabled list June 16 and returned July 2, though he hit just .160 in his next 50 at-bats before going back on the disabled list. Lagares is batting .243 with three homers, eight RBIs and four stolen bases in 70 games this season.

CF Juan Lagares (torn ligament in left thumb) was activated from the 15-day disabled list. Lagares, who has been out since July 29, will serve as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner.

OF Juan Lagares (sprained left thumb) could be helpful down the stretch, manager Terry Collins said Monday. He has not played since July 28, but the Mets hopeful he can return soon.

CF Juan Lagares, rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, has been cleared to swing a bat, but his value to the Mets down the stretch isn't likely to be at the plate. "If we can get this guy physically ready to help us defensively, that's a pretty nice weapon off the bench," manager Terry Collins said. "We all talk about having that pinch runner and stuff. How about having a Gold Glove center fielder that you can run out there in the last couple of innings? That's pretty nice to have."

OF Juan Lagares, who had surgery to repair a partially torn ligament in his left thumb on Aug. 1, had the stitches removed but has not been cleared to begin baseball activities.