A pair of Mets southpaws were back in action with Low-A St. Lucie on Sunday afternoon as they continue working their way back from respective injuries.
A.J. Minter and Nate Lavender took the mound for their second appearance.
Minter again cruised his way through a perfect inning of work, throwing just seven pitches and striking out a batter in the top of the seventh.
He used his full arsenal and topped out at 94 mph on his fastball.
Lavender was also effective, striking out one as well as he worked around a single in a scoreless inning of his own.
He touched 93, but mainly sat around 92 mph on his fastball.
The pair have now combined to allow just one hit while striking out five in two appearances back with St. Lucie.
Both are expected to require lengthy minor league rehab stints.
Minter is returning from a season-ending lat injury suffered early on last year, but is expected to play a significant role in New York’s bullpen when he returns.
Lavender is still progressing his way back from Tommy John surgery, and will likely start the year down in Syracuse but figures to make his major league debut at some point.
The 26-year-old pitched to a 2.98 ERA across three levels in his last healthy campaign.
Putting the two of them alongside fellow lefty Brooks Raley in the Mets’ bullpen could allow Carlos Mendoza to be agressive and creative with his usage.
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