New York Mets manager Luis Rojas was the bearer of good news on Friday regarding the status of the No. 2 starter in his team's rotation.
Right-hander Marcus Stroman, who exited his last outing after one inning with hip soreness, is expected to make his next start.
Although Stroman is scheduled to pitch on Monday, the Mets are considering flipping him with Jerad Eickhoff on Sunday to face the Phillies, per Rojas.
Stroman received an MRI on Wednesday, which showed no structural damage and he has been going through his normal routine in between starts.
As for third baseman Jonathan Villar, the Mets are still checking on his availability for today's double header.
Villar exited Monday's double header with calf tightness, which is ailing him on the same leg as his hamstring tightness that previously caused him to miss four games earlier in the month.
"We want to make sure that the hamstring is not aggravated again because of what he felt in the calf," said Rojas prior to Friday's twin bill with the Phillies.
The Mets have played with a short bench in the past two games with Villar unavailable, and will do so again if the third baseman is unable to pinch hit/sub in tonight.
Instead of calling up another bench player to serve as the 27th man in the DH, the Mets opted to go with an extra arm, recalling right-handed pitcher Sean Reid-Foley from Triple-A.
On an additional note, Mets pitcher Joey Lucchesi's Tommy John surgery "went well" on Thursday and he is expected to miss 14-16 months, per source.
The Mets also signed right-handed pitcher and former Phillie Vance Worley to a minor league deal on Thursday. Worley last appeared in the majors in 2017 and posted a 4.09 ERA in his career across eight seasons.
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