Jorge Polanco’s rehab run continues to swing the bat for the Mets, with a second homer in Triple-A

What happened on the field is straightforward but important for the Mets: Jorge Polanco has continued his rehab assignment in Triple-A Syracuse and has now added a second home run as he builds back game shape. Coverage of the outing highlighted Polanco’s ability to lift the ball for extra-base damage, a sign his timing is returning even as he remains in a controlled return-to-play process.

Polanco’s power output matters because rehab stints are often judged more by contact quality and swing efficiency than by the mere presence of hits. Hitting a home run in a rehab appearance suggests the bat-to-ball connection is back to something close to his normal profile, particularly in the kind of at-bats that tend to stress a player’s mechanics and follow-through.

The Mets’ broader context is that their infield depth and lineup options depend on when, and how fully, a player like Polanco can resume full-duty performance. In July, those decisions compress quickly: teams can’t afford to treat return timelines as flexible when everyday contributors are needed for consistent run production and defensive stability.

The most recent report on Polanco’s rehab emphasized that his slugging is continuing to show up in Syracuse games. Additional coverage from MLB indicated that Polanco lifted a two-run homer during a rehab outing for Syracuse against the Worcester Red Sox, reinforcing that his impact has extended beyond singles and doubles.

Polanco’s path to this point has been tied to a lower-body ailment. Earlier reporting from NBC Sports said Polanco (Achilles) began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse, placing the current phase squarely in the “progress through reps” stage. That means the Mets will look at more than whether he can clear the fence, including how he performs over consecutive days and how his body responds to the physical workload of playing.

Triple-A games are also where a club tests a player’s rhythm in a real lineup environment. Even if a rehab assignment is not the same as a regular-season major league schedule, the at-bats, the defensive innings, and the travel all contribute to readiness assessments that ultimately influence what the organization can safely ask for at the highest level.

For Mets fans, the immediate question is not whether Polanco can hit during rehab. It is how long Syracuse can keep serving as a runway before New York decides he is ready for major league action. The next checkpoints to watch are whether the homers keep coming alongside consistent contact, whether he stays in the lineup without limitation, and how the Mets manage the step from rehab at-bats to full MLB usage.