Quintana is now slated to start Thursday's game against the White Sox at Citi Field, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
When he was reinstated from the 60-day injured list this past Friday, Quintana had been in line to start Tuesday's series opener with the White Sox, but he'll instead make his Mets debut two days later after the organization's brain trust decided he could benefit from some additional rest. Quintana built up to 4.1 innings and 78 pitches in his fifth and final minor-league rehab start July 8, so he's not expected to face any major limitations from a workload standpoint when he takes the hill Thursday. The veteran southpaw is coming off a resurgent 2022 campaign split between the Cardinals and Pirates in which he posted a 2.93 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 165.2 innings.