Mets’ Noah Syndergaard takes major rehabilitation milestone

PORT ST. LUCIE – Tommy John’s painstaking return from surgery is often measured in small steps, but Noah Syndergaard hit one of the biggest on Saturday – even if it came in small doses.

The Mets right-hander threw three cursors for the first time in his bullpen session on Saturday, exactly 11 months since undergoing surgery, marking the latest step forward for Syndergaard in his attempt to come back on the mound at Citi Field this summer.

It remains to be seen when or if Syndergaard will face live hitters this spring – pitching coach Jeremy Hefner has said that date has yet to be set – but their arduous rehabilitation process continues to advance.

“He started to incorporate breakthroughs earlier,” manager Luis Rojas said on Sunday. “I am on [Saturday] was one of the goals, a big one. He looks great physically. He seemed on track to be back with us when we set him up. It’s exciting to see him, but I know we have to wait for him to go through the process and join us when that moment comes by God.

Syndergaard had thrown another bullpen on Wednesday, but at that point he was limited to fast balls, changes and weights.

Hefner, who has had Tommy John surgery twice during his own pitching career with the Mets, was an important voice Syndergaard relied on for guidance during the recovery process – a voice which Hefner didn’t necessarily have on her own rehabilitation journey, he said. Sunday.

“Amazin ‘But True,” the Post’s Mets podcast, returns Monday with weekly episodes throughout March.

“Living that, living the protocol, figuring out the milestones you need to go through, in a specific order – for me, I didn’t control my intensity and intention well,” said Hefner, who has been in rehab. at the same time as Matt Harvey.

“[Syndergaard is] a total pro. He was locked up all the time, listening, adjusting. He did everything right from a performance point of view, from a mechanical point of view, from a mental point of view. … I’m proud of him for sticking to it because it can be difficult. Sometimes when you’re feeling good you want to do too much, and when you’re not feeling good you want to do less. But trying to be as consistent and consistent as possible will get a better result at the end of this thing.