Polanco (Achilles/wrist) played in back-to-back games for Double-A Binghamton on Friday and Saturday, going 1-for-3 with two walks, two strikeouts, a home run and three RBI.
Perhaps more importantly, the 32-year-old started Saturday's game at first base, indicating that the Mets haven't given up on the idea of Polanco being an important contributor at the position. He has yet to play a full nine innings in any of his three rehab games, however, so activation from the IL may not be imminent. Per Max Ralph of MLB.com, manager Carlos Mendoza acknowledged over the weekend that Polanco wasn't going to be fully healthy when he does return. "It's to a point where he's not going to be 100 percent," Mendoza said. "But as he went through the intensity [of baseball activities], the running the bases and the sprinting and all that, the next day, it's like, 'Hey, it's not getting any worse. I feel better.' The biggest thing was that it wasn't getting any worse, and he was able to manage it and was like, 'I'm good to go now.' " Once he does rejoin the big-league roster, Polanco will compete with Mark Vientos, Brett Baty and Jared Young for playing time at 1B and DH.