BALTIMORE — Carlos Carrasco’s rehab hasn’t progressed as far as the Mets originally stated.
After saying last week that the Mets right-hander had begun throwing bullpen sessions, manager Luis Rojas backed away from that comment Wednesday, saying Carrasco hasn’t gotten that far. Rojas said Carrasco has been playing catch and clarified to say he previously threw from the slope of the mound.
Carrasco has been on the injured list since spring training, when he tore his right hamstring. The Mets, short in the rotation, are anxious for his return.
“Carrasco has been throwing, but still is doing the strengthening program for his hamstring,” Rojas said before the Mets’ 14-1 rout of the Orioles at Camden Yards. “That is the main focus here, getting to the point where he can be pushed a little more and then we can start talking about progressing him at that level. He is playing catch, but the hamstring is the main focus.”
Rojas said Carrasco didn’t reinjure his hamstring.
Once Carrasco begins throwing from the mound, he will need a full minor league rehab assignment, suggesting the Mets won’t see him before July at the earliest. Acting general manager Zack Scott previously pegged Carrasco’s return in the late-June to early-July range.
Luis Guillorme is expected to complete his rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse and rejoin the Mets this weekend. Guillorme was placed on the IL with an oblique strain on April 29. He will give the Mets a left-handed bat to play second or third base.
After tentatively planning to pitch Joey Lucceshi on Saturday, Rojas flipped his rotation, placing Marcus Stroman in that spot to keep him as close to normal rest as possible. Jacob deGrom will pitch the opener of the three-game series against the Padres on Friday, followed by Stroman and Lucchesi. With the two off-days this week, deGrom and Stroman will both be pitching on five days’ rest. Lucchesi will be pitching on eight days’ rest.
“We’re going to keep the guys who have more years doing it in their five-day routine,” Rojas said.
The Mets are now 3-6 in interleague games this season, with all three victories over the Orioles, including two last month at Citi Field. After finishing this series, the Mets won’t resume interleague play until July 4 weekend at Yankee Stadium.