The Mets hope to have Carlos Carrasco back in the starting rotation soon, but another pitcher appears right on schedule to make his return as well.
Manager Luis Rojas gave an update on Seth Lugo Saturday, and said the righty has begun throwing after undergoing surgery in February to remove loose bodies in his pitching elbow.
"He's been throwing," Rojas said. "He's been throwing since March 28, and he's up to 75 feet. So he's throwing and playing catch."
Rojas initially heard March 30 as the estimated time that Lugo would begin throwing and working his way back, so the reliever is right on schedule, even a little ahead, and could return to the team in May as initially hoped.
"I think initially we talked about mid-May with him, so I'm going to leave that in the hands of performance," Rojas said. "As you know, guys get better differently. Sometimes you throw a timeline out there, and there's just different ways guys can heal. But I think Seth has done a really good job."
Lugo will likely be the setup man for Edwin Diaz in the Mets bullpen when he comes back. He pitched to a 5.15 ERA in 36.2 innings last season, with seven of his 16 appearances coming as a starter. He was solid in a bullpen role before faltering as a starter down the stretch, allowing six earned runs and not making it out of the second inning in two of his final three starts of the year.
"It's good news that he's throwing right now playing catch," Rojas said. "He's done it three or four times already, counting today."
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