SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jorge Polanco's minor league rehabilitation assignment was halted Saturday because of ankle soreness and the Mets first baseman will return to New York for further evaluation.
Polanco has been sidelined since mid-April with left Achilles bursitis. He has been playing rehab games in the minors recently, and the Mets initially indicated he might come off the injured list and rejoin the team this weekend in San Diego.
That timeline was pushed back, but Polanco was supposed to play Saturday for Triple-A Syracuse before getting scratched.
“We felt like we needed to continue to build him up," New York manager Carlos Mendoza said before his team's 3-2 loss to the Padres.
The club wants Polanco to be able to reach certain thresholds before activating him.
“Four at-bats as a DH, seven innings on defense, at least," Mendoza said. “We won’t see him here in San Diego.”
In his first season with the Mets, the 32-year-old Polanco batted .179 with one homer, two RBIs and a .532 OPS in 14 games before landing on the 10-day injured list April 18, retroactive to April 15, with a bruised right wrist. But it's the Achilles bursitis that has been bothering him since very early in the season that is still keeping him on the IL.
Polanco signed a $40 million, two-year contract with the Mets as a free agent in December to replace Pete Alonso at first base and potentially serve as the team's designated hitter on occasion.
Polanco began his rehab assignment May 27 and played three games at Double-A Binghamton before playing three more with Syracuse. He was 2 for 12 overall with a home run, three RBIs and five walks.
In another move, the Mets released left-hander Anderson Severino.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
FILE - New York Mets' Jorge Polanco (11) bats during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis,File)
TIJUANA, México (AP) — Iran’s soccer team arrived in Mexico on Sunday morning for training ahead of the World Cup, before three group matches in the United States later this month.
Ehsan Hajsafi was the first player to exit the plane with markings for German charter airline USC, which arrived at about 5:05 a.m. He led the team, dressed in blue blazers over white T-shirts, through a brief security check with Mexican officials and dogs before boarding a bus.
The bus stopped briefly at the entrance to the Tijuana airport, where around 20 or so Iran fans waved flags.
The team’s participation in the World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, has been complicated by the Iran war. Problems with processing visas earlier led Iran to move its training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, which is on the border with California.
The team has been training in the Turkish city of Antalya. It flew directly to Mexico on a private jet from the Mediterranean city’s airport.
Some members of their entourage were reportedly still without U.S. visas, according to Iranian state television on Saturday. Those include the Iranian Football Federation’s secretary-general, Hedayat Mombeini, and its vice president, Mehdi Mohammad Nabi.
Iran plays its first two games in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15, and Belgium six days later, then heads to Seattle to face Egypt on June 26. Iran and the U.S. could meet in the round of 32 on July 3 in Arlington, Texas, if both teams come second in their groups.
In March, U.S. President Donald Trump had discouraged Iran from participating in the tournament, saying he didn’t think it was “appropriate” and raising concerns over players’ “life and safety.” A day later, Iran’s national team pushed back, saying “no one can exclude” it from playing.
Iran finalized its team on Monday, including 17 home-based players whose clubs haven’t played since February because of the war. Star forward Sardar Azmoun was dropped in March, reportedly because of a social media post that angered Iranian authorities during the war.
Iran’s sports minister said in March that it would “not be possible” for the team to participate in the World Cup, but the republic’s soccer federation said in May that it was moving ahead with a team. The federation had insisted that all players and staff be granted visas, including those who had military service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Fans for team Iran wave as players arrive for the World Cup soccer tournament in Tijuana, Mexico, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Iran's Ehsan Hajisafi, right, arrives with his teammates for the World Cup soccer tournament in Tijuana, Mexico, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Iran's Alireza Jahanbakhsh, second from right, talks with a team official as he arrives with his teammates for the World Cup soccer tournament in Tijuana, Mexico, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Iran's Ehsan Hajisafi, center, walks with a team official as he arrives with his teammates for the World Cup soccer tournament in Tijuana, Mexico, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Iran's Ehsan Hajisafi, left, arrives with his teammates for the World Cup soccer tournament in Tijuana, Mexico, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
