LOS ANGELES -- Noah Syndergaard is on board with coming out of the bullpen in September.

Asked Thursday about the idea of serving as a reliever down the stretch once he makes his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery, Syndergaard did not hesitate.

“Whatever is needed of me,” he said.

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Syndergaard, who has declined nearly every interview request since undergoing his operation in March 2020, departed without elaborating. But it was nonetheless notable that one of his lone public comments since that time was an endorsement of a possible bullpen role -- something the Mets are considering as a practical measure to get the most out of him in September.

If the Mets wait until Syndergaard is fully stretched out as a starter before activating him from the injured list, they could miss his presence for most of the rest of the season. But if Syndergaard returns as soon as he is ready to pitch a max-effort inning, he could give the Mets much more value in September.

After that, things become murky. The hard-throwing right-hander is set to become a free agent after the season. The Mets could extend him a one-year qualifying offer as a way for Syndergaard to re-establish his value after hitting the open market, but there are no guarantees that he would accept.

Heading into this season, the Mets hoped that Syndergaard would be able to return at some point in June. But elbow discomfort cut short his initial Minor League rehab assignment in May, and Syndergaard has been building back up since then. Earlier this week in San Francisco, he faced live batters for the first time since his setback earlier, with a rehab assignment presumably on tap.

If all goes well, Syndergaard could return to the Mets as a reliever by early September -- a scenario that general manager Zack Scott recently called likely but that manager Luis Rojas said the team has yet to discuss with Syndergaard himself.

“At this point in the year, coming and contributing in a shorter relief outing,” Scott said, “whether that be a two- or three-inning outing … getting him to help the big league club is the priority.”

Syndergaard last pitched a Major League game in September 2019. He was 10-8 with a 4.28 ERA over 32 starts that year. He has appeared out of the bullpen twice in his career -- once in Game 5 of the 2015 National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium, and again the following season after one of his starts was cut short because of an ejection.