BUFFALO, NY — “Hey Siri. How many more rehab games are left?” Jose Siri was back in the Syracuse lineup on Saturday afternoon at Sahlen Field for their 10-0 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays affiliate Buffalo Bisons.
Siri, who sat out in game two of Syracuse’s Friday double header, played his second full game in consecutive days and got at bats off of former major league all-star, Alek Manoah.
Manoah made quick work of Siri in his first at bat, striking him out on three pitches. However, with Manoah getting himself into trouble in the top of the fourth, Siri got him back and smashed a first pitch changeup 394 feet into the Buffalo bullpen in right-center for a two-run home run.
The home run was the only offensive support the rehabbing outfielder provided in the game as he finished the day 1-5 with three strikeouts. He wasn’t extremely active in the field, only having to worry about three fly balls and a line drive hit his way, all caught with ease.
According to big league skipper Carlos Mendoza, who spoke with reporters on Saturday before the Mets’ game against Cincinnati, Siri is “getting close” to being back with the big club. Mendoza said the plan is for Siri to get another five innings of play on Sunday in the series finale between Syracuse and Buffalo.
“It’s just to a point where we’re building up his volume and just kind of getting him on playing time mode,” Mendoza said.
If all goes well for Siri in his recovery after playing in back to back games – and in three games in the last four days, he should be activated in the near future.
Other notes from Saturday’s game @ Binghamton
Mets top prospect Carson Benge went 1-5 with a run scored. Benge is hitting just .195 with a .529 OPS in 11 games at the Triple-A level. In his 44 plate appearances with Syracuse, Benge has only walked three times and has only one extra base hit, a home run hit on Aug. 29 against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Mets #8 prospect Ryan Clifford had a big day at the plate, going 2-4 with a three run home run. Clifford, who was in the lineup Saturday as the Syracuse designated hitter is slugging .417 so far at the Triple-A level. In a full 2025 season which includes 105 games with Double-A Binghamton, Clifford is slugging .493 with 27 HR and 89 RBI with an .835 OPS.
2022 first round pick Kevin Parada got his second start behind the plate for Syracuse. Parada went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. His only defensive blemish was a passed ball in the bottom of the sixth inning. The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket has five hits in his first four games with Syracuse.
In his first game back after being optioned to Syracuse, Brandon Waddell got the start for the Mets. Waddell earned the win, throwing six innings of shutout ball giving up six hits, one walk and striking out four. For Waddell, it was his second quality start of the year for Syracuse, with the last coming way back on April 19 against – you guessed it – Buffalo.
Syracuse will face off against the Buffalo Bisons for the final time this season on Sunday at 12:05 p.m.
