Noah Syndergaard to start Game 2 of today’s doubleheader

Noah Syndergaard will make his long-awaited return for the Mets this evening, as he is slated to start the second game of the team’s doubleheader with the Marlins. He has not thrown a pitch in a major league game since starting the final game of the 2019 season against the Braves. The club designated catcher Chance Sisco for assignment to make room for Syndergaard on the 40-man roster.

Syndergaard missed the entire 2020 season and almost all of the 2021 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March of 2020. He was aiming to return closer to June of this year, but elbow inflammation derailed those plans and resulted in the team shutting him down for six weeks back in May.

During his rehab, the right-hander pitched five scoreless innings across two starts for the St. Lucie Mets, then made one start for the Brooklyn Cyclones before a positive COVID-19 test again delayed his return to the majors. He returned and made two starts for the Syracuse Mets, tossing two scoreless innings in those outings. His fastball topped out at 94 mph in his last start, and he has revealed that he will not be throwing his curveball or his slider, at least for the time being. It is unlikely that he will go beyond two innings in this start.

Thor will be a free agent this offseason, and is a candidate to receive a qualifying offer. It is unclear whether he would accept in that case, but coming off two seasons where he was unable to showcase what he could do, a one-year deal seems likely, whether it is with the Mets or with another club. Syndergaard, who debuted for New York during the team’s 2015 pennant-winning season, owns a 3.31 ERA, a 2.92 FIP, and a 1.16 FIP, with 775 strikeouts in 716.0 innings pitched in his career.