Mickey Callaway wants flexibility in his starting lineup decisions at catcher.
A day after confirming a Post report that Tomas Nido would be Noah Syndergaard’s personal catcher, citing Nido’s ability to handle low pitches, the Mets manager indicated the pairing won’t be a steadfast rule. Nido has also emerged as Jacob deGrom’s personal catcher this season, but Callaway indicated he doesn’t consider such a title correct.
The confusion might come from the definition of “personal catcher,” which Callaway may view as meaning “exclusive,” instead of “playing most of the time for a given pitcher.” A club source confirmed Wednesday that Nido is expected to catch most of the time when Syndergaard and deGrom are scheduled to pitch.
“There are going to be times when we have a night game/day game, we are going to have to make a decision then,” Callaway said before the Mets’ 5-1 loss to the Yankees in Wednesday’s Subway Series finale. “There are a ton of circumstances.”
Wilson Ramos was behind the plate for Jason Vargas on Wednesday. It was Ramos’ second straight start.
Jed Lowrie remains without a timetable for a possible rehab assignment, according to Callaway, as he continues baseball activities in Port St. Lucie. The Mets have been vague about Lowrie’s diagnosis, saying the veteran infielder is dealing with his physical issues on his left side.
Lowrie initially had a sprained capsule in his left knee and later a strained left hamstring. GM Brodie Van Wagenen declined to elaborate on Lowrie’s condition. He was then asked if Lowrie, who still hasn’t appeared in a game for the Mets after receiving a two-year contract for $20 million, will play this season.
“I certainly hope so,” Van Wagenen said. “The expectation is that.”
Pete Alonso was named NL Rookie of the Month for the second time this season. Alonso posted a 1.089 OPS in June with nine homers and 21 RBIs.
Justin Wilson’s first appearance for the Mets in nearly two months was a success on Tuesday, when the lefty reliever threw two-thirds of a scoreless inning against the Yankees.
“There is no doubt we have missed him, not just him but being a lefty,” Callaway said. “He is not traditionally just a left-on-left guy and he’s mainly been a reverse-split guy, but he’s had success against everybody that comes up to the plate in his career.”