NEW YORK — Noah Syndergaard is scheduled to pitch Tuesday night for the New York Mets, returning to a major league mound for the first time in two years and completing his long comeback from Tommy John surgery.
The right-hander was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and will start the second game of a single-admission doubleheader against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field. The skidding Mets announced the move about 2 1/2 hours before the first game.
Syndergaard can become a free agent after the season. His return comes too late to help the 2021 Mets, who were eliminated from playoff contention last weekend. New York (73-82) led the NL East for three months but began to nosedive when the calendar turned to August.
Syndergaard, an All-Star in 2016, probably will throw just an inning or two. His rehab progression was slowed this year by a sore elbow that caused him to be shut down in late May and then a positive test for COVID-19 in late August even though he is vaccinated.
He made a pair of rehab appearances last week for Triple-A Syracuse, working one inning each time. He allowed one hit and struck out two over two scoreless innings.
It will be Syndergaard’s first big league outing since Sept. 29, 2019, against Atlanta. He tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow at spring training in March 2020 and had Tommy John surgery later that month.
Syndergaard will serve as the Mets’ 29th man for the doubleheader. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, catcher Chance Sisco was designated for assignment.