New York Mets infielder Jorge Polanco has had his rehab assignment from Achilles bursitis shut down, according to Mets broadcaster Keith Raad.
Polanco had been slated to play for Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday, but was scratched due to ankle soreness, the team confirmed. He's now returning to New York, where he'll be re-evaluated by team doctors.
Polanco hasn't played in the majors since April 14, four days before he was placed on the injured list. He'd been playing through the Achilles issue before landing on the IL, and was also dealing with a right wrist contusion.
After a lengthy rest period that was specifically focused on the Achilles injury, he finally began a rehab assignment last week at Double-A Binghamton. In six total games split between Binghamton and Syracuse, Polanco went 2-for-12 with a home run, five walks, and three RBIs.
"It's to a point where he's not going to be 100%," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said last week before Polanco began his rehab assignment, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. "But as he went through the intensity (of baseball activities), the running the bases and the sprinting and all that, the next day, it's like, 'Hey, it's not getting any worse. I feel better.' The biggest thing was that it wasn't getting any worse, and he was able to manage it and was like, 'I'm good to go now.'"
The Mets signed Polanco to a two-year, $40-million contract this past offseason expecting that he'd replace Pete Alonso at first base, despite having little prior experience at the position. The 32-year-old played just 14 games in 2026 - primarily as a DH - before getting injured and put up a .532 OPS with a homer and two RBIs over 61 plate appearances.
Mark Vientos has been the Mets' primary first baseman this season, while MJ Melendez has received the bulk of the at-bats at DH with Polanco out.
Despite owning the majors' highest payroll, the Mets have stumbled to a 28-35 record and entered Saturday 15 games out of first place in the NL East. In addition to Polanco, they've also been without star shortstop Francisco Lindor and former All-Star outfielder Luis Robert Jr., among others, due to injuries for much of the season.
