Mets manager Carlos Mendoza provided an update on veteran outfielder Mike Tauchman, who exited Saturday’s game with left knee soreness, and it wasn't good news for the outfielder or the ball club.

An MRI revealed that Tauchman suffered a meniscus tear that requires surgery.

"Unfortunately, he’s going to be down for a while," Mendoza told reporters on Sunday.

Mendoza said that the team will have a better understanding of the timeline for Tauchman's return after he has surgery.

"He started feeling discomfort yesterday, and he got to a point where he couldn’t do it [anymore]. ...Trainers kind of knew right away when he came out, because we sent him for an MRI."

The 35-year-old Tauchman has been pushing for a roster spot, hitting .241 this spring with one home run, six RBI, and an .819 OPS. He grimaced in pain while running down the first-base line on Saturday, and then later could not get back to make a play on a ball over his head in the outfield.

Tauchman was likely the biggest competition for top prospect Carson Benge in terms of the starting right field job come Opening Day. Benge has looked the part this spring, but Mendoza would not make any declarative statements on Sunday about Benge's potential place on the big league roster.

As far as other right field options, Mendoza said that M.J. Melendez is not considered an Opening Day option right now, as he'll start the year in Triple-A, but the team does like their internal options.

"We feel good with the options that we’ve got here," Mendoza said. "Obviously, we’ve got a lot of guys who are playing well, but we know injuries happen. It sucks for him and obviously the team, but we feel pretty good with the guys that we’ve got here."

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