30 Michael Conforto RF

Conforto (oblique) has been taking regular batting practice and is expected to be back to full strength when the Mets reconvene for workouts, barring any sort of setback in his training, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Conforto is one of several injured MLB players who has benefited from the extended recovery time afforded to him by the coronavirus pandemic, as his strained right oblique -- which once threatened his availability for Opening Day -- is unlikely to be an issue once the season resumes. Coming off three straight seasons of 25-plus home runs, Conforto is expected to slot in as the No. 3 hitter in a Mets lineup that could be improved from 2019 with better health from the likes of Yoenis Cespedes, Brandon Nimmo and Robinson Cano.

Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen was non-committal Wednesday when asked if Conforto (oblique) would be ready for Opening Day, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. "We'll see how he responds in the coming days, and then as we evaluate his game readiness next week," Van Wagenen said. "I'm sure we'll have more information at that point in time."

Conforto first experienced side soreness after catching a fly ball awkwardly Saturday, with the outfielder later being diagnosed with a strained right oblique following an MRI. The Mets seemingly believe that Conforto's strain is of the mild variety, as he's still expected to take part in limited baseball activities before the team re-evaluates him in a week to see if he's ready to ramp up his workouts. If the Mets' projected No. 3 hitter is forced to begin the season on the injured list, more playing time would likely open up in center field for Jake Marisnick, with Brandon Nimmo shifting over to cover Conforto's spot in right field.

Conforto received test results Tuesday that revealed a right oblique strain, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The outfielder underwent an MRI on his side Monday in Florida before returning to New York for further evaluation. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen mentioned Tuesday that it's too early to know if Conforto's status for Opening Day is in question. The 27-year-old tweaked his side while catching a flyball during a recent spring training and is expected to be reevaluated next week to provide a clearer timetable for his return. If Conforto is forced to miss an extended period of time to begin the season, Jake Marisnick and J.D. Davis are likely to see an uptick in playing time.

Conforto tweaked his side while catching a flyball during a recent spring training game and is headed back to New York to be evaluated by Dr. Altcheck, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

Conforto underwent an MRI and is now on his way back to New York for further testing. The Mets should have a better idea of his availability moving forward following Dr. Altcheck's evaluation.

Conforto signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Mets on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.

The 26-year-old hit .257/.363/.494 with a career-high 33 homers last season. He also stole a career-high seven bases.

Conforto is not in the lineup for Friday's game versus the Braves.

Conforto started the last 11 games and has a .948 OPS with three home runs, 10 RBI and 10 walks during that stretch, but he'll take a seat for the final series opener of the season. Juan Lagares will start in center field Friday, pushing Brandon Nimmo to right.

Conforto went 3-for-4 with a walk, two home runs and four RBI in Tuesday's extra-innings win over the Marlins.

He slugged two-run homers in the seventh and ninth innings to drag the Mets back from a 4-0 deficit, then drew a free pass to lead off an 11th inning that ended with Brandon Nimmo's walkoff walk. The team staved off elimination for one more day with the victory, and Conforto is slashing .255/.361/.494 on the year with career highs in home runs (33), runs (88) and RBI (91).

Conforto is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Conforto sat Wednesday against a lefty and will do so again Saturday against Hyun-Jin Ryu, as Jeff McNeil moves out to right field and Todd Frazier starts at third. After homering in the series finale Thursday against Arizona, Conforto is now up to 30 long balls, with 24 of the 30 coming against right-handed pitching. He's slashing .247/.309/.392 against southpaws.

Conforto went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, walk and three runs in an 11-1 victory against the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

The homer was meaningless in the game, as Conforto's shot turned a 10-1 game into an 11-1 affair, but the long ball certainly wasn't meaningless to Conforto, as it was his 30th of the season. His last homer on Sept. 6 set a new career high, so he already accomplished that and now has his first 30-homer year. Conforto is batting .260 with 57 extra-base hits, 82 RBI, 82 runs and seven steals in 500 at-bats this season.

Conforto is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Diamondbacks.

He is hitting .184 with a 39 percent strikeout rate in 38 September at-bats. Brandon Nimmo will start in right field while Juan Lagares starts in center.

Conforto went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-4 win over the Phillies.

The fourth-inning blast was Conforto's first in September and his 29th of the year, establishing a new career high. The 26-year-old has been a key part of the Mets' second-half push for the playoffs, slashing .282/.359/.533 in 49 games since the All-Star break.

Conforto went 0-for-4 with a strikeout Sunday in the Mets' 5-2 loss to the Phillies.

The empty showing at the plate ended a seven-game hitting streak for Conforto, but the outfielder still remains on an upward trajectory during the final month of the regular season. As was the case in 2018, Conforto has overcome a sluggish first half and has raked since the All-Star break, posting a .919 OPS and supplying 12 home runs and 36 RBI in 45 games. He'll occupy right field and bat third Monday in the Mets' series opener with the Nationals, per Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Conforto went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk and four RBI in Sunday's 11-5 win over the Royals.

Conforto got the scoring started on the afternoon with a 452-foot, three-run blast off Royals starter Glenn Sparkman in the first inning. He supplied a run-scoring single in the seventh for good measure, adding to what's been a torrid August for the outfielder. Through 16 contests this month, Conforto has amassed a .900 OPS, highlighted by five home runs to go with a stolen base, 16 RBI and 10 runs.

Conforto went 2-for-5 with an RBI in Friday's 7-6 victory over the Nationals.

Conforto stepped to the plate with runners on first and second in a tie ballgame in the bottom of the ninth inning, and he delivered a game-winning base knock over the right fielder's head. The 26-year-old has now registered two hits in four of his last five contests, cranking four home runs while driving in eight over that brief stretch. Conforto and the Mets will aim to keep it rolling heading into the second matchup of the series Saturday.

Conforto went 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs in a 7-2 victory against the Marlins on Wednesday.

The first homer the 26-year-old smashed Wednesday was the 100th of his career. There's been little change in his average over the last couple weeks, but Conforto has seven long balls since July 27, which has put him on track to post a new career high in the category. Conforto is hitting .261 with 25 home runs, 64 RBI, 65 runs and five steals in 379 at-bats this season.

Conforto isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against Miami, David Lennon of Newsday reports.

Conforto is in line for a rare day off, having gone 5-for-21 with two homers and four RBI through his first six games of August. Juan Lagares is set to man center field and will hit eighth in Conforto's stead.

Conforto went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run and three RBI in the second game of Monday's doubleheader sweep of the Marlins.

The 26-year-old now has five long balls in his last 10 games, slashing .306/.457/.778 over that stretch. Conforto's surge gives him 23 homers on the year, and he's closing in on the career-high 28 he slugged in 2018.

Conforto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and an additional run Sunday in the Mets' 13-2 win over the Pirates.

Conforto got the scoring started in the top of the first inning, slugging a one-out offering from Joe Musgrove over the center-field fence for his 22nd home run of the season. So long as his health prevails, Conforto should comfortably surpass the career-high 28 long balls he slugged in 2019. After starting in center field Sunday, Conforto will shift over to right Monday in the first game of the Mets' doubleheader with the Marlins.

Conforto went 3-for-5 with a walk, a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 5-2 extra-innings win over the White Sox.

The 26-year-old homered for the third straight game and did so in dramatic fashion, going back-to-back with Jeff McNeil in the 11th inning. Conforto is now slashing .308/.366/.569 in 16 games since the All-Star break with five home runs and 11 RBI.

Conforto went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in an 8-7 victory against the Pirates on Sunday.

The Pirates have been giving up a lot of home runs since the All-Star break, and Conforto took advantage of that fact with two homers during the weekend series. Conforto has already reached 20 long balls for the third straight year, and he's on pace to pass the 28 homers he hit last season, which set a new career best. The 26-year-old is batting .251 with 38 extra-base hits, 54 RBI, 54 runs and five steals in 347 at-bats this season.