rewrite this title Mets’ A.J. Minter likely headed to IR after exiting with triceps tightness

WASHINGTON — A.J. Minter felt tightness in his left triceps a pitch or two before the one that forced him to depart the mound in Saturday’s eighth inning.

The reliever is headed for an MRI exam and will likely be placed on the injured list, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after the 2-0 victory over the Nationals.

Minter, who has pitched to a 1.64 ERA in 13 appearances this season, is the team’s primary left-handed relief option.

“I’m just glad it wasn’t my elbow,” Minter said. “But we are looking probably at an IL stint — just hopefully I can come back and get this thing fixed and continue to help the team.”

Among the possibilities to replace Minter is Dedniel Núñez, who has spent the first month of the season at Triple-A Syracuse after getting a late start in spring training.

Danny Young, the second lefty in the Mets bullpen, has given the team a boost lately — with seven appearances in his past eight in which he hasn’t surrendered an earned run.

Young struck out three batters in holding the Nationals scoreless in the sixth inning on Saturday.

In need of a starting pitcher for the next home series — or at least an arm to potentially pitch behind an opener — the Mets are leaning toward a journeyman within their organization.

Brandon Waddell, a 30-year-old lefty, is the leading candidate to be inserted into the rotation for Wednesday’s game against the Diamondbacks at Citi Field, according to sources.

The sixth starter is needed as the Mets look to keep Kodai Senga on extra rest during this stretch of 13 games without a scheduled day off.

Waddell’s most recent major league appearance came with the Cardinals in 2021. This season he has pitched to a 1.54 ERA in five starts for Triple-A Syracuse.

The Mets on their most recent road trip used Justin Hagenman as a sixth “starter” — the right-hander pitched 3 ¹/₃ innings behind Huascar Brazobán, who was utilized as an opener against the Twins.

Another potential candidate for Wednesday’s pitching assignment, top prospect Brandon Sproat, is off to a seesaw start with Syracuse. The right-hander has pitched to a 5.79 ERA in five outings and struggled in his most recent start on Thursday. Team officials haven’t shown any inclination toward pushing Sproat to the big leagues.

Jeff McNeil started in center field for the third time in his career as Mendoza inserted Luisangel Acuña into the lineup at second base.

McNeil, who started twice in center in 2023, got reacquainted with the position during his minor league rehab assignment.

Mendoza said he prefers to keep Brandon Nimmo in left field (at least for now) rather than move him to center field because of the knee discomfort that was an issue for him during spring training.