New York Mets Set Date For Dedniel Nunez's Rehab Assignment

The New York Mets have set a date for reliever Dedniel Nunez to begin his rehab assignment.

May 31, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Dedniel Nunez (72) delivers a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the sixth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

He's getting close to being an option for the New York Mets.

Right-handed relief pitcher Dedniel Nunez is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment for Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, as manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters on Sunday.

Dedniel Núñez will throw an inning and 15-20 pitches on Tuesday for Triple-A Syracuse pic.twitter.com/GieSh0IxM8

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 18, 2024

The plan is for Nunez to throw one inning and around 15-20 pitches, per Mendoza.

If all goes well, Mendoza says it's "in play" for Nunez to rejoin the Mets after making just one rehab appearance. Once the team checks with the reliever on Wednesday, they will either bring him on their road trip to San Diego or give him one more rehab outing.

Carlos Mendoza says that tomorrow could be Dedniel Núñez's only rehab outing and he could rejoin the Mets shortly after: pic.twitter.com/8CZpCSBLyk

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 19, 2024

Nunez landed on the 15-day injured list with a right pronator strain back on July 24. Although the Mets initially expected him to be back shortly after his IL stint was up, the righty has missed nearly a month of action on the shelf.

Nunez has become a mainstay in the Mets' bullpen since being recalled from the minors in late-May. The team's shaky unit has sorely missed his impact in his time spent on the IL, but luckily he is now nearing a return.

Nunez has posted a 2.43 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP and 45 strikeouts across 33.1 innings (24 appearances) in what has been an impressive rookie year in 2024.

President of baseball operations David Stearns acquired multiple relief arms at the trade deadline in: Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek, Huascar Brazoban and Tyler Zuber.

While Maton has been effective since joining the Mets with a 1.84 ERA in 14.2 innings, Stanek (10.50 ERA, six innings) and Brazoban (5.63 ERA, eight innings) have both struggled immensely. Zuber has yet to make his Mets debut as he was optioned to Triple-A upon being acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Mets' bullpen will be getting a major boost once Nunez comes back, which should be later in the week or shortly thereafter.