MLB

Mets’ Wright to meet back doc; Pagan nears return

The Mets are slowly returning to full strength.

Third baseman David Wright will fly to Los Angeles today to be examined by noted back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins.

Wright said the evaluation isn’t necessarily a second opinion, but part of a “blueprint” for getting back on the field. He was placed on the disabled list last week with a lower back stress fracture.

Starting center fielder Angel Pagan likely won’t rejoin the Mets in Chicago, according to manager Terry Collins, but he may be back in action for the weekend series at Citi Field against the Phillies.

Pagan, who is recovering from a strained oblique, went home to Puerto Rico yesterday for a family matter and will rejoin Single-A St. Lucie tonight before heading to Triple-A Buffalo for more rehab at-bats.

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On Friday night, Nick Swisher suffered a nasty gash on his left forearm diving for a ball on the warning track in right field’s foul territory.

“That warning track feels like you are playing on concrete pavement,” Swisher said.

Which is what first baseman Mark Teixeira said last year when former Yankee Lance Berkman hit his head on the track.

“Lance tripped and almost got a concussion because when he fell he hit his head,” Teixeira said yesterday. “It’s sand on top of concrete and it gets slippery, too. I don’t see it being much better. It’s dangerous.”

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With eighth-inning man Rafael Soriano on the shelf, manager Joe Girardi said right-hander Luis Ayala will get setup opportunities when David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain are unavailable.

“Ayala will have to figure in the mix,” Girardi said before yesterday’s game in which the righty Ayala posted the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Ayala, who missed time on the DL in April with a strained right shoulder, is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in nine games (12 innings).

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As Josh Thole falls deeper into a May swoon, the Mets may give Ronny Paulino a chance to be more of an equal partner behind the plate.

Paulino started at catcher yesterday against Yankees righty Ivan Nova, and could receive a string of starts, according to Collins, as the Mets try to jumpstart their offense. Thole is batting .139 (5-for-36) in May. The manager wants to give Thole a few days to work in the batting cage with hitting coach Dave Hudgens.

“The one thing we have to do is be patient because [Thole] can hit and he’s going to hit,” Collins said. “Right now I just want to give him a chance to work on some things, and we’ve got another guy we think is going to hit, too, so I’m going to get him in there for a couple of days.”

Paulino went 1-for-4 yesterday with an RBI.

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Dr. Leonel Liriano, one of the doctors who assisted in a procedure last year on Yankees right-hander Bartolo Colon, said in a Dominican TV interview that 10 other undisclosed pitchers have expressed interest in undergoing the treatment that is being scrutinized by MLB. Colon was treated in April 2010 with a stem-cell procedure designed to regenerate tissue in his shoulder and elbow.

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Derek Jeter went 2-for-5 and drove in two runs. He has a 25-game home hitting streak against the Mets that started June 28, 2003.

With 2,975 career hits, Jeter is 10 behind Sam Rice for 28th place on the all-time list.

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Justin Turner went 0-for-4 and snapped a streak of seven straight games with an RBI, which had set a Mets rookie record. Turner did not reach base for the first time in 13 games.

With AP