Mets could use Syndergaard in relief to expedite return from DL

The New York Mets may get creative in order to take their ailing ace off the disabled list as quickly as possible.

According to Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen, the club will discuss the possibility of using right-hander Noah Syndergaard - sidelined since May 1 with a partially torn right lat muscle - in a relief role in order to expedite his return to the active roster.

"If we decide we want to go get Syndergaard back earlier but use him as a one-inning guy, we'll all talk about that," Warthen told Newsday's Marc Carig.

That discussion, Warthen said, will center around the Mets' position in the standings, as the club will likely be more inclined to use Syndergaard out of the bullpen if a wild-card spot is realistic as he nears a return. He is expected to resume throwing within the next two weeks.

Since debuting with the Mets in 2015, Syndergaard, who earned his first All-Star appearance and finished eighth in National League Cy Young voting last year, has made just one regular-season relief appearance, throwing one inning out of the bullpen last May in a 6-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Citi Field.

Limited to just five starts in 2017, the 24-year-old owns a 3.29 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, while notching 32 strikeouts and allowing no home runs in 27 1/3 innings.