Brooks Raley will continue to throw after elbow inflammation improved

Mets reliever Brooks Raley, who suffered a setback while attempting to return from an elbow injury, will continue to throw after the inflammation in his elbow improved, manager Carlos Mendoza said.

Per Mendoza, surgery is not on the table at the moment.

Raley will not be activated from the IL on Sunday when he's first eligible, and a possible timeline to return is unknown.

Before hitting the IL, Raley had gotten off to a great start, with eight scoreless appearances over seven innings. He has nine strikeouts and a 0.71 WHIP.

Drew Smith, who landed on the IL a few days after Raley, is expected to return around when he's first eligible on May 9.

Without Raley and Smith, the Mets' bullpen has continued to perform very well.

Edwin Diaz, Reed Garrett, Adam Ottavino, Jorge Lopez, and Jake Diekman have continued to excel in the late innings.

Meanwhile, Sean Reid-Foley has been terrific since returning from the IL, striking out nine in five innings over five scoreless appearances.