Sunday’s rainout gave the Mets the option of skipping Wilmer Font’s spot in the rotation, but with the team still uncertain when Steven Matz will be back from the injured list, they are opting to stick with Font this week in Washington.
Noah Syndergaard, Sunday’s scheduled starter, will pitch the opener against the Nationals on Tuesday, followed by Font and Zack Wheeler.
“He was going to have to slide in there at some point,” manager Mickey Callaway said after the series finale against the Marlins was postponed and rescheduled as part of a single-admission doubleheader on Aug. 5. “When you’re going to keep a guy going, or get him in a rhythm, to skip [him] is tough. So we figured, you know what, he pitched well enough, he’ll be able to go deep enough, and he’ll be pitching in between two of our guys that can give us seven innings pretty consistently.
“So I think it’s the right thing to do for the team to win games and for the pitcher to continue to be successful.”
Acquired from the Rays for a player to be named later or cash considerations, Font pitched well in his Mets debut, allowing two earned runs over four innings in a loss to the Padres on Wednesday. Matz (radial nerve irritation), who last pitched on May 3, threw a bullpen session Sunday.
“We’re optimistic, we’ll see what happens,” Callaway said, referring to when Matz will make his next start. “We have to continue to evaluate him daily.”
The reassessments continue for Jed Lowrie. Once expected to be activated Friday, Lowrie’s status remains uncertain. On Friday, the Mets said they would “reassess” him Saturday, and now the plan is to reassess him Monday.
“We’re really not sure at this point [when he’ll be back],” Callaway said.
A left knee capsule strain has kept the infielder out since early in spring training. He has yet to hit much during his rehabilitation assignment, going 5-for-31 with a homer and two RBIs in eight games with Single-A Port St. Lucie and Triple-A Syracuse. Lowrie wasn’t in the lineup for Syracuse on Sunday. He hasn’t played in back-to-back days during his rehab, which only has five days remaining before the Mets have to either activate him or end the rehab.
Callaway said left-hander Jason Vargas (hamstring) is feeling better and may start throwing Monday.
The Mother’s Day Infinity Scarf giveaway, originally scheduled for Sunday, will take place prior to the Mets-Marlins doubleheader on Aug. 5. Fans with tickets to Sunday’s game cannot use them for the doubleheader, but can exchange them for a ticket of a similar price and location to another regular-season home game, including the Aug. 5 doubleheader but excluding the July 2-3 Subway Series against the Yankees and the 1969 50th anniversary celebration on June 29.