Mets Morning News: Travis d'Arnaud progressing, Mets release three minor leaguers

Meet the Mets

The All-Star break continues for one more day, as the Mets wait to begin their second half schedule Friday in St. Louis.

Travis d'Arnaud is progressing in his recovery from an elbow injury. He is reportedly "moving closer to rehab games," but his return is "not imminent."

The Mets made three transactions at the Double-A level. Aderlin Rodriguez, Dustin Lawley, and Eudy Pina were all released.

Andy Martino wrote that despite Jacob deGrom's recent success, Matt Harvey is still the staff ace. He explained that the distinction is not a slight against deGrom, but an acknowledgement of Harvey's elite status in baseball.

After immersing himself in both fanbases, Florida born reporter Kevin Clark has declared himself a Mets fan. Of note, he enjoyed the community aspect of being a Mets fan, sharing stories of other fans approaching him to discuss the team just because he was wearing a Mets hat.

Around the NL East

Eric Chesteron revisted The Good Phight's preseason predictions for the Phillies to see how their expectations have fared thus far.

Freddie Freeman will not return immediately after the All-Star break as was previously expected. He has been dealing with a wrist injury for the past month.

Fish Stripes and Federal Baseball both evaluated their respective club's chosen Franchise Four.

Around MLB

Unfortunately for the Mets, Matt Holliday is set to rejoin the Cardinals for the series opener Friday. He has been out for the past month with a quadriceps injury.

Number one overall draft pick Dansby Swanson has still not signed a contract with the Diamondbacks. The deadline to sign draft picks is Friday afternoon, but the two sides are reportedly not worried.

At Grantland, Rany Jazayerli detailed the process in which Padres general manager A.J. Preller gutted the team in an unbelievably short amount of time. He noted that the failures not only included acquiring major leaguers who have performed poorly, but also involved giving up a sizable group of promising prospects.

At The Hardball Times, Jacob Linden examined the meaning of the phrase "there's no cheering in the press box." He concluded that today's journalists have shifted more towards the ideal of journalistic integrity through avoiding being partial to the teams they cover.

Yesterday at AA

Chris McShane reviewed the excellent performance to date of the Mets bullpen this season. What was once a question mark for the team, has undoubtedly been a major strength.

Steve Sypa profiled Cuban free agent outfielder Guillermo Heredia. The 24-year-old is known for being an excellent defender, but has question marks surrounding his bat.

Francisco Bernard looked at the choices for the Mets' Franchise Four of Mike Piazza, Tom Seaver, David Wright, and Keith Hernandez. He also handed out first half awards for the Mets with Jacob deGrom taking home team MVP.

This Date in Mets History

In 2006, the Mets exploded for 11 runs during the sixth inning of a win over the Cubs. The outburst was fueled by grand slams off the bats of Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran.