The Mets desperately need bullpen help, but it appears they were dealt another setback in making that happen.

Justin Wilson, who has been on the IL since early May with elbow soreness, was scratched from his rehab assignment on Tuesday due to left elbow tightness, the Mets announced.

Wilson, 31, was close to returning to the majors, rehabbing with Triple-A Syracuse since last week. It is still unclear just how significant of a setback this may be.

The Mets signed Wilson to a two-year deal during the offseason to help bolster their bullpen depth with a left-hander, but he has appeared in just 10 games, allowing six runs -- five earned -- while striking out nine in 9.1 innings pitched.

The Wilson news comes just as the Mets placed Jeurys Familia on the IL with a Bennett lesion, or bone spur, in his right shoulder -- the same injury that initially landed him on the IL May 1. They also shut down Brandon Nimmo from all baseball activities after he was evaluated for a second opinion on his neck pain in Los Angeles.

Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen said over the weekend he will continue to look for ways to improve the bullpen.

"I don't think it's any surprise to this group or to our fans that we have lost some games here of late that we had an opportunity to win," he said. "So we're going to continue to look for any and all options to try to create a little more success for those last nine outs of the game."

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