Montas (lat) allows 2 homers, builds up pitch count in latest rehab start

DENVER -- The Mets aren’t overly worried about Frankie Montas’ homer troubles just yet, but it’s beginning to become a persistent problem for the rehabbing right-hander.

Montas allowed two more homers Sunday in a rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse, bringing his total to six in his last 7 2/3 innings. Overall through four starts rehabbing a strained right lat muscle, Montas has allowed 12 runs in 12 innings.

Montas did stretch out to 76 pitches in Sunday’s outing and will need just one more start before he’s ready to assume a full starter’s workload. That next and potentially final outing, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said, will be more important than previous ones in terms of the right-hander’s results.

“For now, I think it’s more just how they’re bouncing back,” Mendoza said.

To that end, Montas said recently that he was pleased with the way he’s been recovering after outings. He injured his lat early in Spring Training and has been building back up ever since.

Signed over the offseason to a two-year, $34 million contract, Montas will force the Mets to make a difficult rotation decision once he’s healthy. The Mets are already operating with one of their top six starters, Paul Blackburn, in the bullpen. If everyone else stays healthy, there may not be an obvious way to insert Montas into the rotation without pushing out an undeserving teammate.

Further crowding the rotation is left-hander Sean Manaea, who made his first Minor League start last week in his recovery from a strained right oblique muscle. Manaea, the Mets’ top pitcher last season, is about two weeks behind Montas in his progression.