#Noah Syndergaard, Carlos Carrasco progressing in Mets rehabs

It was a busy and positive day in Port St. Lucie, Fla., for two important rehabbing Mets.

Noah Syndergaard faced live hitters for the first time in one inning of work in an intrasquad game at Clover Park, and Carlos Carrasco threw four innings.

“I actually watched Noah pitch today from a live feed that we have here from Clover Park,” manager Luis Rojas said before the Mets lost to the Nationals, 7-1, at Citi Field. “He pitched an inning today, faced batters, looked really good from what I saw.”

Syndergaard (Tommy John surgery) is expected back sometime in June. The Mets won’t need a fifth starter until a series against the Cardinals from May 3-6 in St. Louis, but Rojas made it seem unlikely Carrasco (hamstring) would be ready by then. The expectation is for him to rejoin the Mets the second week in May.

“We’ll see how he feels after this one,” Rojas said of Carrasco. “That’s something we haven’t talked about.”

Reliever Drew Smith (shoulder) also faced live hitters in Port St. Lucie on Saturday, according to Rojas.

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Before the game, pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said reliever Dellin Betances has been working on strengthening his shoulder and rehabbing. A little later, Betances was placed on the 60-day injured list, retroactive to April 8. The earliest the reliever, out with a right shoulder impingement, can return now is early June.

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Michael Conforto said he believes he is making progress at the plate. He had two hits on Friday and hit his first homer of the season on Saturday. He also lined out in the first inning.

“I’m certainly putting better swings on the ball,” he said. “I feel more comfortable up there. Just putting the ball in play a little bit more, hitting the ball hard, having some more quality at-bats.”

The homer moved Conforto into 11th place on the Mets’ all-time list with 119.

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A day after Rojas batted Jacob deGrom eighth in front of backup catcher Tomas Nido, the Mets went back to a more traditional lineup, with James McCann hitting eighth in front of starting pitcher Marcus Stroman. Rojas said the lineup Friday was meant to give Nido protection, with Brandon Nimmo hitting behind him.