Mets' Noah Syndergaard throws batting practice for first time since COVID-19 pause

The New York Mets suffered their latest brutal loss Tuesday night when they fell to the St. Louis Cardinals 7-6 in extra innings to drop down to four games back in the pursuit of a wild-card playoff berth with slightly over two weeks remaining in the regular season. 

Per SNY, the Mets were able to offer fans some good news Wednesday. 

Ahead of Wednesday's matchup against the Cardinals, Mets flame-thrower and one-time All-Star Noah Syndergaard threw live batting practice at Citi Field for the first time since he was temporarily shut down in late August after he tested positive for COVID-19. 

Syndergaard hasn't appeared in an MLB game since 2019, as he underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2020, missed the entire pandemic-shortened season, and then had his rehab halted in May after he experienced a setback. The 29-year-old is still working to return to the active roster before the regular-season finale on Oct. 3 but likely would be relegated to bullpen duties if he's cleared to face MLB opposing hitters. 

On Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of the MLB website tweeted New York ace Jacob deGrom completed some light bullpen work and is "on track" to pitch in a game either before or on Oct. 3. It's unclear if deGrom, who hasn't taken the bump since July 7 and recently dealt with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, would start or come out of the bullpen for a brief cameo.