Mets send Jorge Polanco to Triple-A Syracuse for rehab stint

More than two months after he last appeared in a Mets game, Jorge Polanco is back on the rehab trail in Triple-A Syracuse, giving New York its clearest indication yet that the veteran infielder is moving toward a return. The assignment matters because Polanco has been out since April 14 and has spent the stretch on the 60-day injured list while the Mets try to get him back in a limited designated hitter role.

Polanco’s absence has been shaped by more than one physical setback. Left Achilles bursitis bothered him from the start of the regular season, and a right wrist contusion pushed him onto the injured list on April 18, retroactive to April 15. He has already been through one rehab run, beginning May 27 with Double-A Binghamton, where he went 1-for-2 with a single and a run scored in two plate appearances as a DH. That assignment later moved to Syracuse before the Mets shut him down in early June after he reported left ankle soreness and went back to New York for further evaluation.

The restart in Syracuse is the first real checkpoint in measuring how close Polanco is to helping the Mets again. MLB.com has reported that he has been taking batting practice as the club works to bring him back strictly as a DH, which would ease the demand on a body that has not stayed healthy long enough to build momentum. The next step is less about a box score in Syracuse than whether he can string together a clean run of games without another setback.

That urgency is heightened by how little New York has gotten from its $40 million investment. Polanco signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Mets on Dec. 16, 2025, but has played in only 14 games for the club this season. With the lineup waiting for stability and the infield still adjusting around his absence, Syracuse has become more than a tune-up stop. It is the place where the Mets will find out whether Polanco can finally turn a stop-start recovery into a path back to Queens.