NEW YORK -- Noah Syndergaard is due to face the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. Really.
Syndergaard originally had been listed as Tuesday's starter. But the New York Mets decided to give him an extra day of rest after he logged 115 pitches last week against the Pittsburgh Pirates while attempting a complete game.
Terry Collins insisted the workload against Pittsburgh was the primary factor in pushing Syndergaard back a day. Still, the positive byproduct is that Syndergaard now also faces the Washington Nationals on Monday in D.C. rather than the Atlanta Braves the previous day at Turner Field.
Syndergaard (7-2, 1.91 ERA) opposes left-hander Danny Duffy (2-1, 3.17) on Wednesday at 1:10 p.m. ET as the Mets and Royals wrap up their abbreviated two-game series.
WEDNESDAY'S NEWS REPORTS:
Bartolo Colon was struck on the right hand with a comebacker off the bat of leadoff hitter Whit Merrifield and departed Tuesday's start after four pitches. X-rays were negative and Colon was diagnosed with a bruised thumb. The Mets scratched Logan Verrett from a start with Triple-A Las Vegas in case Colon requires a DL trip or the team otherwise needs a fresh arm. Hansel Robles stepped in and logged a career-high 3 2/3 innings. And behind 26 outs in total from the bullpen and solo homers from Asdrubal Cabrera and Yoenis Cespedes, the Mets beat the Royals, 2-1. Jeurys Familia improved to 23-for-23 in save conversions. That's one shy of matching Armando Benitez's 2001 franchise record for the most consecutive saves to begin a season. Read game recaps in the Post, Daily News, Times, Newsday, Record and at NJ.com and MLB.com.
The Mets will hold a workout for Cuban infielder Yulieski Gourriel, who has been declared a free agent by MLB. Read more in the Post, Daily News and at NJ.com and MLB.com.
Zack Wheeler's expected pitching appearance against Gulf Coast League competition is off. Wheeler experienced elbow discomfort while working back from Tommy John surgery and instead will be examined by team doctors on Wednesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Read more in the Post, Daily News, Newsday and at NJ.com and MLB.com.
Tom Seaver's wife ripped the Mets for not having a statue honoring her husband -- or any of the franchise's other greats -- outside Citi Field. Read more in the Daily News as well as a sidebar in which fans offer to foot the bill.
Kevin Plawecki was demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas to clear the roster spot for the activation of Travis d'Arnaud from the disabled list. D'Arnaud went 0-for-3 in his return, but he threw out a would-be base stealer in the first inning. Read more on d'Arnaud's return in the Journal, Daily News and at NJ.com and MLB.com.
Jim Henderson landed on the disabled list with right biceps tendinitis. Sean Gilmartin was promoted from Las Vegas, although he was unavailable to step in for Colon on Tuesday because the southpaw had thrown 100 pitches in a Pacific Coast League start on Saturday. Read more at NJ.com.
The Mets agreed to terms with first-round pick Justin Dunn of Freeport, Long Island. He receives a $2.3788 million signing bonus. Dunn, a right-hander out of Boston College, will be assigned to the Brooklyn Cyclones. The Mets also announced the signing of third-round pick Blake Tiberi, an infielder out of Louisville. Read more in Newsday.
Speaking indirectly about Jose Reyes, Sandy Alderson said character will be evaluated as well as baseball ability. Reyes should become a free agent no later than Saturday. Jeff Wilpon has a “strong interest” in bringing Reyes back to Queens, Christian Red writes in the Daily News. "I'm sure he could certainly help," Rockies manager Walt Weiss told Dustin Foote in the Daily News. "He's been an elite player in this league for a long time. He's not the 25-year-old Jose Reyes, but still a very talented player." Read more on Reyes in Newsday and the Post.
Columnist Ken Davidoff in the Post proposes this arrangement regarding Reyes: “He could most help the Mets by doing a little of everything around the infield. By being an upgrade over Matt Reynolds. So if he's willing to try it, then send him to Triple-A Vegas and instruct 51s manager Wally Backman to rotate Reyes around the infield. Provide both Reyes and the Mets a chance to see if they like the idea of him becoming a super-utility player. Give Reyes a quick opt-out clause to ensure that he wouldn't get trapped in the minors.”
Columnist Joel Sherman in the Post suggests Reyes and Carl Crawford's career arcs have a lot in common.
A women's rights group is opposed to bringing Reyes to Queens, Howie Kussoy writes in the Post.
A shakeup did not materialize with the Mets, and Michael Conforto was not demoted to Las Vegas. Team officials said there was no reason to make a panicked move or scapegoat one player for team-wide struggles. Conforto went 0-for-2 with a walk Tuesday as is average dipped to .229.
Tyler Pill allowed three runs in six innings and Altoona beat Binghamton, 5-2. Scarlyn Reyes tossed six scoreless innings and St. Lucie's pitching staff ran its streak of consecutive innings without allowing an earned run to 44 with a 5-0 win against Palm Beach. Representing Columbia, P.J. Conlon took the loss in the South Atlantic League All-Star game and Vinny Siena went hitless in three at-bats. Brooklyn avoided extra innings in an 8-3 win against Tri-City. Colby Woodmansee and Gene Cone combined for five RBIs in their professional debuts for the Cyclones. Read the full minor-league recap here.
Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and Cespedes had racehorses named after them, Matt Ehalt writes in the Record. Cespedes will debut in Saratoga in August.
Jared Diamond and Andrew Beaton in the Journal combine the best players from the Mets and Yankees into one team.
From the bloggers … Faith and Fear salutes those who come through and ponders those who might com back. ... Mets Report endorses signing Reyes.
BIRTHDAYS: Ron Hodges turns 67. ... Willie Harris is 38. ... Darrell Ceciliani is 26.
TWEET OF THE DAY:
Brooklyn leads 8-3 after eight. There's a rumor that the game ends after nine if one team has more runs. pic.twitter.com/5BzGxfFvIn
— Brooklyn Cyclones (@BKCyclones) June 22, 2016
YOU'RE UP: Are you optimistic the Mets will sign Gourriel?
