Bartolome

Fortunato

Fortunato said the tendinitis in his shoulder feels much better, but manager Howe said the righthander won’t throw in a game until Wednesday at the earliest.

Fortunato said he had an MRI that revealed inflammation and that he may not pitch this weekend.

Fortunato might have made a costly mistake when he decided to forgo Tommy John surgery for now. He was placed on the 60-day DL when the Mets announced a week ago that he would need the operation.

Fortunato had missed a week with a sore shoulder.

Fortunato, 29, previously closed in the minors. He sports a 94 mph fastball, slider and changeup that acts like a palm ball, but there’s nothing exciting about him from a fantasy standpoint.

The Mets figure to bring up Matt Ginter on Sunday, so Fortunato’s stay could be a brief one. He’ll join the pen.

Fortunato injured his back in one of the final games of the spring and then spent the entire year on the disabled list for the Mets. Now the team has to decide whether to keep him on the 40-man roster this winter. Odds are that they won’t, but if they do, he’ll compete for a bullpen spot in spring training.

Fortunato had been on the DL since the start of the year with what was called a back strain.

He has allowed a couple of unearned runs. Fortunato has established himself as a candidate to claim a bullpen spot, but he could be forced out of the picture by one or two late pickups.

Fortunato, who had given up one earned run in nine innings, might have cost himself a bullpen spot by getting hit hard before departing.