Seth Lugo activated from IL ahead of Friday start

A little bit of a surprise, as it seemed likely that Javier would be activated this weekend. Hunter Brown is expected to start Sunday. Teng pitched well last time out, holding the Guardians to one run in six innings on Saturday, but his ERA stands at 5.06 in eight outings since he moved into the rotation.

After nearly four weeks away due to a forearm strain, Griffin starting at shortstop and leading off in Friday’s game against the Reds. His return means that Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo will go back to fighting for time at third. Gonzales figures to get most of the starts, but he is sitting in favor of Triolo tonight.

Brannigan is still looking to make his MLB debut, as he did not get into a game in his one day with the Pirates.

Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith says the move will officially happen Saturday. Keys has been terrific in hitting .284/.409/.619 between Double- and Triple-A this season, but it will be interesting to see how the Jays try to use him. He’s experienced at both third and first, though he’s mostly played first since moving up to Triple-A. He hasn’t played any other positions in games. The Jays probably wouldn’t promote him unless they intended to start him against most righties. Perhaps they’ll give George Springer or Kazuma Okamoto some outfield time.

Griffin, out with a forearm strain, homered and tripled in his lone rehab game with Double-A Altoona on Tuesday.

Taylor is back after missing a month with a hip flexor strain. He was 7-for-15 with two homers in his four rehab games, so the Mets probably should get him right into the lineup, especially if Juan Soto is going to remain limited to DH duties, and see if he can stay hot for a bit. In the long run, he’ll play mostly against lefties.

Melendez hit .192/.315/.350 with four homers and 50 strikeouts in 144 plate appearances for the Mets. His 56 percent hard-hit rate was nice, but he simply must make more contact if he’s going to contribute.

Thornton will make his second big-league start tonight against the Phillies. He gave up four runs over 4 1/3 innings in his debut against the Nationals last month, and he had a 4.25 ERA and a 56/23 K/BB in 55 innings as a starter in Triple-A.

Duarte didn’t pitch during his one-day stint in the majors. He’s worked five scoreless innings for the Mets over the course of the season.

Sandlin will start against the Royals tonight. The 25-year-old has an 8.10 ERA in two starts and one relief appearance for the White Sox this season.