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A source is telling ESPN New York's Adam Rubin that right-handed relief pitcher Greg Burke will return to the Mets in Philadelphia this weekend. Burke was just optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas last weekend to make room for fellow righty Carlos Torres on the New York roster.
Normally an optioned player must spend 10 days in the minor leagues before being called up to the majors again, but there is a special exception for when a player on the MLB roster goes on the disabled list. That means that if this report is true, we can all but assume that Jon Niese is going on the disabled list.
Niese left last night's 4-3 Mets win in the fourth inning with "shoulder discomfort." Even if Niese isn't hurt that badly, the Mets shouldn't hesitate to put him on the disabled list as a precaution. With Zack Wheeler in the majors, the team has an extra starter on the roster, so there's no reason to be reckless with Niese.
In 20 innings pitched with the Mets this season, Burke has a 4.05 ERA with 18 strikeouts, seven walks, and a 1.50 WHIP.