SAN DIEGO — Jorge Polanco’s Rehab Continues at Triple-A

It looks like Jorge Polanco will be spending at least this weekend working on his performance with Triple-A Syracuse, rather than making a comeback with the Mets just yet.

Last week, there was some chatter among team officials about the possibility of Polanco joining the Mets on this trip, but as of Friday, he remained on his minor league rehab assignment.

Manager Carlos Mendoza pointed out that Polanco had only played five innings in his last outing.

“We need to ensure he’s at a point where he can hit four times as a designated hitter or play seven innings defensively,” Mendoza said before the Mets’ 5-0 victory against the Padres. “If he can do that, you won’t see him here in San Diego.”

On that day, Polanco took part in a game for Double-A Binghamton against Syracuse but only managed two hits in ten at-bats, leaving him with a .200 batting average.

However, Mendoza emphasized that Polanco’s performance numbers were not the main reason for keeping him at Syracuse.

“I think it’s more about the way he swings and rotates,” Mendoza mentioned, noting that he had been watching a video of Polanco’s at-bats. “His posture on his back foot looks better, suggesting he has improved since coming off the injured list.”

Polanco has been out since April 15 due to a bone bruise in his wrist and Achilles bursitis, which led to a longer stint on the injured list.

Meanwhile, Francisco Alvarez is set to play in back-to-back games starting Saturday and may return to the Mets for their next homestand. He is currently on the road to recovery from surgery to fix a torn meniscus in his right knee.

Tyrone Taylor has recently started running again after being placed on the disabled list because of a hip flexor strain.

Rookie outfielder Carson Benge had a solid start with a .975 OPS over his last nine games but went 0-for-4 on Friday. Since May, he has been hitting .300/.368/.458, with four home runs, 18 RBIs, and four stolen bases.

In terms of pitching, the Mets entered Friday with a bullpen ERA of 3.23, putting them third in the National League and fifth overall in MLB. Their relievers also tallied 278 strikeouts, the highest in MLB, adding another 3¹/₃ shutout innings and two more strikeouts in that game.