Noah Syndergaard returned from the injured list wanting Tomas Nido as his personal catcher and was granted his wish by Mets officials in recent days.
That has left Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom as members of the starting rotation with Nido as their personal catcher, placing Wilson Ramos — signed in the offseason to a two-year contract worth $19 million — in a job share.
Before the Mets faced the Yankees at Citi Field on Tuesday, manager Mickey Callaway explained to The Post the decision to pair Nido with Syndergaard.
“With what we’re trying to do with Syndergaard, keeping the ball down, [Nido] is a good complementary catcher for him,” Callaway said. “He receives the ball down better, so it’s something we have to continue to do.”
Blocking balls in the dirt has been a challenge for the 31-year-old Ramos, whose nine passed balls entering play were most in the National League. Mets pitchers had also been charged for 17 wild pitches with Ramos behind the plate.
Syndergaard has pitched to a 2.29 ERA in three starts with Nido as his catcher. With Ramos as his catcher, Syndergaard has pitched to a 4.69 ERA in 11 starts.
Mets officials had hoped deGrom and Ramos would settle into a groove, but Nido became the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner’s personal catcher last month, beginning with a start in Atlanta on June 18 in which deGrom took a shutout into the ninth inning. In seven starts with Ramos as the catcher, deGrom has pitched to a 4.50 ERA. In nine starts with Nido behind the plate, deGrom has pitched to a 1.83 ERA.
Ramos appears to have accepted his reduction in playing time.
“This is the first time it happened in my career when I am healthy,” Ramos said. “But like I say every single time: I respect the decision the manager makes when he makes the lineup. I have to follow the rules. I am that kind of player. I don’t have to go to the office every single time and say, ‘I want to play.’ I like to go one time and if they want to do what I say, perfect. If they don’t, I will always respect the decision the manager makes.
“I don’t feel really bad about that, I just try to be ready for the opportunity they give me. But right now I don’t feel bad — it’s the first time it has happened in my career, I feel weird, but I have to respect it.”
Ramos said he understands deGrom and Syndergaard would prefer Nido, and indicated he holds no bitterness.
“Sometimes that happens,” Ramos said. “I have seen that in my career a lot, but like I say I’m not making the lineup. I try to do my best job behind the plate, I try to protect my pitcher as best I can and if they don’t feel comfortable with me, I have nothing more to do. I try to give 100 percent behind the plate and protect them. If they feel good, I’m good. But if they feel bad I feel bad too, but it’s nothing I can control. Sometimes that happens, but you have to be a professional.”
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Devin Mesoraco served as deGrom’s personal catcher for most of last season, but the veteran was placed on the restricted list in spring training — and is now retired — after returning to the club on a minor league deal and refusing an assignment to Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets also released Travis d’Arnaud in April, after the veteran catcher struggled behind the plate and with the bat.
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Ramos has produced offensively, with a .270/.343/.414 slash line entering play. The Mets have recently started getting respectable offensive production from Nido, whose bat was nonexistent earlier in the season. Nido hit .275 in June.
“Nido has been doing a really good job, too — I like how he works behind the plate — so nothing to do but support him,” Ramos said. “I know he supports me when he is behind the plate and I like that.”