Wilson heads back to IL as elbow flares up

NEW YORK -- When the Mets brought reliever Justin Wilson back from the injured list last week, they believed he was fully over the bout of left elbow soreness that had forced him to the sideline. That did not, however, prove to be the case. The Mets placed Wilson back on the injured list Saturday due to a recurrence of elbow discomfort, and they recalled right-hander Eric Hanhold from Triple-A Syracuse.

“We’re not sure at this point,” manager Mickey Callaway said when asked about the Mets’ concern level regarding Wilson. “We’re going to get him checked out and go from there.”

Wilson went on the injured list April 22 with what the Mets classified as mild elbow soreness. He needed more than two weeks to make it back to the field, and he allowed two runs in an inning during his only outing, in Monday's 4-0 loss to the Padres. That raised Wilson’s ERA to 4.82 in the first season of a two-year, $10 million contract.

Wilson’s absence leaves Daniel Zamora as the lone left-hander in New York’s bullpen.

It also presents an opportunity for Hanhold, a rookie right-hander who appeared in three games last year before suffering a season-ending left oblique strain. Back at Triple-A to start this season, Hanhold, the Mets' No. 23 prospect per MLB Pipeline, produced a 3.60 ERA in 12 appearances, with 12 strikeouts and nine walks in 15 innings.

Familia on deck
The Mets’ thinning bullpen will receive a boost on Sunday, with Jeurys Familia scheduled to come off the injured list now that he is recovered from a bout of right shoulder soreness. Callaway would not, however, commit to sliding Familia back into what he once defined as a rigid eighth-inning role for the right-hander.

“That’s a tough question to answer at this point because we don’t know the game situation,” Callaway said, his words standing in contrast to how he has defined Familia’s role in the past. “So it’s really just kind of real-time decisions based on who’s available, who’s not. I do have faith in Familia to continue to do his job, that I think is going to be his ultimate role with our team. For now, it’s going to be based on trying to win as many games as possible with the best possible pitcher out there in the moment.”

In the first season of a three-year, $30 million contract, Familia struggled prior to his IL stint, producing a 6.28 ERA in 14 games. He insisted, however, that his shoulder did not bother him until his final appearance, April 30.

“Every time I go out there, I give 100 percent trying to do my job,” Familia said. “It’s part of the game. Every player goes through that sometimes, a couple bad days. I just have to continue trying to do my job, and things are going to be OK.”

Even more rehab
Despite Jed Lowrie’s 3-for-4 night Friday for Syracuse, the Mets are not ready to activate him for his long-awaited season debut. Callaway said the Mets are waiting on Lowrie, who played another Minor League game on Saturday, to tell them he is ready before making a move.

Lowrie is rehabbing from a sprained left knee capsule.

“At this point with a player like him, you lean a lot on him,” Callaway said. “He’s been doing this a long time. He’s been an All-Star. He’s been a high performer. He had one of his best seasons last year. So only he can really tell us exactly how he’s feeling compared to what he’s been in the past. So we’ll lean a lot on him for that information.”

Who’s on third?
Although Callaway declined to say Todd Frazier has lost his starting job at third base, J.D. Davis was at the position for a third consecutive game on Saturday. Davis has added incentive to succeed in this role, as he is one of multiple candidates to head to the Minors once Lowrie is activated.

Frazier entered Saturday’s play batting .143 with a .425 OPS in 15 games, while Davis had .289 and .818 marks in 31 games.