Mets' Tyrone Taylor ramping up rehab, eyeing potential late-season return

The Mets are ramping up Tyrone Taylor's rehab in hopes of adding a veteran outfielder to the roster before the regular season ends. Taylor began a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse on Sept. 20, 2025, going 1-for-4 as the starting center fielder. He has been on the injured list since Aug. 30 with a left hamstring strain. At this point, the Mets have Cedric Mullins and Jose Siri as the primary center-field options, but Taylor could join that mix before the season concludes. Taylor was strong in August offensively, posting a .941 OPS for the month, though his season OPS stands at .592 overall.

Jose Siri, who returned from the IL on Sept. 9 after missing roughly four-and-a-half months while rehabbing a fractured left tibia, was in Friday's starting lineup against Nationals left-hander Andrew Alvarez. It was a rough night for Siri, who had two misplays in the Mets' 12-6 win and heard boos from the crowd. Offensively, Siri has faced consistency issues this season, carrying a .292 OPS to date. He is 1-for-12 at the plate since his return.

Sean Manaea remains on paternity leave but is expected to be ready for a Sunday pitching appearance against the Nationals, either as the starter or in a piggyback role. In his most recent work, Manaea allowed one earned run over five innings in a piggyback assignment behind Clay Holmes against the Padres. That performance represented a step forward for Manaea, who has struggled since returning from the injured list in July. "I feel really good with where Sean is at," pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said. "Before it kind of made sense to me how the performance was kind of matching what we were seeing under the hood. I just feel really good about his work, his bullpens and where he’s getting the ball — getting it up in the zone a little more than he was previously."

Manager Carlos Mendoza did not offer further updates on Reed Garrett and Tylor Megill, both of whom have been shut down for the season due to elbow injuries and could be candidates for Tommy John surgery.

Francisco Lindor needs three homers to give the Mets three players with at least 30 homers in a season for the first time in franchise history; Juan Soto and Pete Alonso have already surpassed the mark.