Lucchesi (elbow inflammation) placed on IL

WASHINGTON -- Fresh off his longest start of the season, Mets starter Joey Lucchesi has hit a snag.

The Mets on Saturday placed Lucchesi on the 10-day injured list due to left elbow inflammation, which he began feeling during his Friday start. The move cleared roster space for outfielder Albert Almora Jr., who came off the injured list for Game 2 of the Mets’ doubleheader at Nationals Park.

Until Friday, Lucchesi had not complained of any arm discomfort, according to manager Luis Rojas, but the left-hander began experiencing some during his last start. It was nonetheless a good one for Lucchesi, whom the Mets trusted to pitch into the sixth inning and face batters a third time through a lineup for the first time this season. The scoreless effort lowered his ERA to 1.19 over his last five starts with 24 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings, after he went 1-3 with a 9.19 mark over his first six outings.

Lucchesi also mentioned that he recently made a mechanical adjustment to prevent himself from tipping pitches, which he believed he was doing early this season.

“I feel like my body’s feeling coordinated and all that, and I feel like my pitches are just coming out the way I want them,” Lucchesi said after Friday’s game. “So that’s a good feeling.”

But the feeling did not last. Team officials debated between games whether it was worth placing Lucchesi on the IL. They ultimately decided it was, because they could not count on him being ready for his next start on Friday.

His injury will make the Mets’ upcoming stretch more difficult, with three doubleheaders over a seven-day span. One starting pitcher, veteran Jerad Eickhoff, is already with the Mets on their taxi squad; the team could add Eickhoff to its roster in the coming days. Two other starting options, Thomas Szapucki and Nick Tropeano, are on the 40-man roster. All are candidates as the Mets look to cobble together some pitching behind Jacob deGrom, who should be healthy enough to start Game 1 of Monday’s doubleheader against the Braves.

“We’ll figure it out,” Rojas said. “We have some moving parts. Now we have a four-man rotation all of the sudden, but we do have some depth guys. We have some guys on our roster that can come in and help.”

As for Almora, he returned after missing nearly six weeks due to a left shoulder contusion and a torn ligament in his right big toe. Almora was in the Mets’ lineup for Game 2 of their doubleheader, going 2-for-3 with two doubles -- and remaining in the game despite another injury scare in the seventh inning, when he tweaked his groin sliding into third base. Almora should serve as a backup outfielder most nights going forward.