Jose Siri is set to take a big step towards a potential late-season return to the Mets.
The speedy outfielder will officially begin a rehab assignment with the Low-A squad down in Port St. Lucie later this week.
Siri has been sidelined since April 12 due to a fractured left tibia.
He appeared to be closing in on a return late last month, but hit a bit of a setback in his recovery when imaging showed the bone hadn't healed to the Mets' liking.
Instead, he ended up being shut down from all baseball activities until he was finally able to ramp things back up over the past couple of weeks.
Having missed so much time, though, Carlos Mendoza expects Siri to still be a couple weeks away.
“This is a guy who has been out pretty much the whole year,” the skipper said. “He’ll start playing every other day and then the next week we’ll start moving him up, but we have to see the full nine innings, back-to-backs, we gotta get the volume up.”
The team still hasn’t discussed Siri's exact role when he is eventually ready to return.
The most logical fit would seemingly be as an extra outfielder and speedster off the bench with them being able to add two players when roster expand in September.
Siri was expected to split time with Tyrone Taylor in center after being acquired in an offseason deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, but the early injury quickly forced him to the sidelines.
Taylor filled in tremendously over the first few weeks, but after he ultimately struggled the team turned to Jeff McNeil out there and then acquired Cedric Mullins in a deadline deal with the Orioles.
Mullins has picked things up with the bat after a bit of a slow start with the new club, but his defense has left much to be desired.
Siri's return could provide a much-needed boost with his dynamic speed and outfield defense in the latter innings.
