Marcus Stroman dealing with calf tightness

Marcus Stroman is dealing with calf tightness and will not pitch in today’s intrasquad game at Citi Field. Manager Luis Rojas is unclear whether or not Stroman will make his first scheduled start. The Mets have not officially announced any starting assignments past Jacob deGrom’s Opening Day bid, but it was expected that Stroman would start Saturday or Sunday against the Braves.

Stroman, who came to the Mets via trade almost one year ago from the Blue Jays, is expected to slot in as the number two starter behind deGrom. With Noah Syndergaard out for the season, and with Stroman in a contract year, this is a big year for the New York native. While the Mets do not seem to be overly concerned about the injury, they are obviously being cautious with Stroman.

Due to the lack of off days in the 60 game season, if Stroman missed his first turn in the rotation, he would likely debut either against the Red Sox in Queens, or against the Braves next weekend in Atlanta, depending on if the Mets would use a spot starter in the fifth game of the season.