Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |

With the Mets in the heat of the playoff chase, they have kept their heads above water despite being without some key offensive pieces lately. That looks like it's about to change.

As key players start to return, the Mets will have to clear room on the 25-man roster for each and map out a plan of attack regarding who plays regularly and what the lineup should be (and whether the lineup should be static or malleable).

This is a good problem to have, but there are some tough decisions coming.

Who is coming back?

Jeff McNeil (hamstring) fielded ground balls on Thursday and has been hitting in the cage. He is eligible to return on Aug. 24 but may need to play rehab games first. Whether he needs those games or is activated without them will likely be determined on Thursday, according to Mickey Callaway.

Brandon Nimmo (back) has advanced from rehab games with High-A St. Lucie to rehab games with Triple-A Syracuse, which is the final hurdle to clear before coming off the IL. He played his first game with Triple-A on Tuesday night and seems to be getting close to activation.

Jed Lowrie (multiple lower-body injuries) began a rehab assignment with St. Lucie on Tuesday, serving as the DH. He will DH again during his next game there, after which the Mets will determine the next steps.

Who will the roster casualties be?

The Mets are back to working with a five-man bench, which consists of Tomas Nido, Ruben Tejada, Luis Guillorme, Aaron Altherr, and Rajai Davis.

Nido is the backup catcher and is going nowhere, while Davis was recently called back up -- and gives the Mets much-needed speed off the bench. That means the candidates to be the odd-men-out should be Altherr, Tejada, and Guillorme.

On merit and usefulness, it would make sense for Altherr to be the first roster casualty, whether it's done to make room for Nimmo or McNeil. After that, the Mets should be choosing between Tejada and Guillorme -- two backup infielders who don't offer much on the offensive side of the ball.

Between Tejada and Guillorme, it would make more sense to keep Guillorme due to his defensive prowess at both shortstop and second base, his lefty bat, and the fact that he has more speed.

Lowrie's return might not happen until after Sept. 1, at which point rosters will have expanded to 40 players.

Who should be playing regularly?

Again, this is a good problem to have, but it could get tricky.

The Mets currently have five players who should be playing every day: Wilson Ramos (C), Pete Alonso (1B), Amed Rosario (SS), J.D. Davis (LF), and Michael Conforto (RF).

The other three players who have been in the starting lineup most games lately have been Todd Frazier (3B), Juan Lagares (CF) and Joe Panik (2B).

Frazier has been struggling badly in August, hitting just .197/.319/.316 with two homers in 18 games. He usually provides steady defense at third base, but even that has gotten shaky of late.

Lagares is 11-for-26 since McNeil went down and has been playing strong defense in center field, and Panik has gone 10-for-31 with three walks since joining the Mets.

If things continue to trend down for Frazier while Lagares and Panik continue to play well, it could make the most sense for the Mets to feature an infield that has McNeil at third base and Panik at second base.

The question then comes down to outfield playing time.

With McNeil at third base, the Mets playing Nimmo in center field against right-handers and Lagares in center against left-handers could be their best bet.

How should the starting 8 shake out lineup-wise?

Rosario has been on absolute fire since the All-Star break, which means it will be tough to move him from the top of the order. And the team has been succeeding since dropping Davis to the No. 6 spot, which has lengthened the lineup. Panik has been hitting second.

Here are two lineup ideas that could work well (one against right-handed starting pitchers and the other against lefties):

Against right-handers

1. Amed Rosario, SS
2. Jeff McNeil, 3B
3. Pete Alonso, 1B
4. Michael Conforto, RF
5. Wilson Ramos, C
6. J.D. Davis, LF
7. Brandon Nimmo, CF
8. Joe Panik, 2B

Against left-handers

1. Amed Rosario, SS
2. Jeff McNeil, 3B
3. Pete Alonso, 1B
4. Michael Conforto, RF
5. Wilson Ramos, C
6. J.D. Davis, LF
7. Joe Panik, 2B
8. Juan Lagares, CF

Things could get even more interesting if Lowrie returns. It would be hard to rely on him as a near-everyday player this season after all the injuries he's dealt with, but his presence would create an interesting dynamic.

There is also the prospect of Robinson Cano finding his way back.

The Mets' season looked to be dead in the water just over a month ago. Now they're rejuvenated, in the Wild Card race, and the cavalry seems to be on the way.

Who is coming back?

Who will the roster casualties be?

Who should be playing regularly?

How should the starting 8 shake out lineup-wise?

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