Mets' Jason Vargas: Lines up for Saturday debut
Vargas (hand) is expected to be activated from the 10-day disabled list Saturday to start the Mets' game in San Diego against the Padres, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Team doctors gave Vargas the green light to make a rehab start Monday at Triple-A Las Vegas, which represented the final hurdle the lefty needed to clear before returning from the DL. Though Vargas wasn't especially impressive Monday -- he needed 66 pitches (42 strikes) to get through four innings and gave up three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four -- pitching in Las Vegas is rarely a picnic for even the most seasoned of hurlers. More importantly, Vargas escaped the outing with no reported issues with his surgically repaired non-throwing hand, so he'll presumably be in line to fill the spot in the Mets rotation vacated by Matt Harvey, who was banished to the bullpen over the weekend following three rough starts in a row.