Jon Niese (back) may be placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday. Niese made an early exit from his start Friday against the Rangers with a bruised back. "We'll know more tomorrow," Mets manager Terry Collins said Saturday night.

Jon Niese is considered day-to-day after leaving Friday's start against the Rangers with a bruised back. Niese was struck by a line drive off the bat of Alex Rios in the first inning on Friday, but fortunately X-rays came back negative. The Mets will wait and see how he feels on Saturday, but it looks likely that he'll make his next scheduled start as planned.

Jon Niese was forced to leave Friday's start against the Rangers after just three batters, after he was drilled by a line drive off the bat of Alex Rios. The ball struck him directly in the back. He had surrendered a solo homer to Shin-Soo Choo and an Elvis Andrus single before the Rios at-bat. The Mets should provide an update on his status shortly.

Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that the Mets are "reluctant" to trade Jon Niese. Niese is probably the team's most shoppable commodity, but he also has a team-friendly contract that pays him just $16 million from 2015-16, with the Mets also having club options totaling $21 million from 2017-18. The left-hander boasts a 2.88 ERA over 16 starts this season.

Jon Niese allowed three earned runs over six innings in the Mets' win over the Marlins on Sunday. Niese held the Fish scoreless until the bottom of the sixth inning, when all three runs crossed the plate. But he had a seven-run lead entering that frame and the Mets wound up winning 11-5. Niese will carry a cool 4-4 record, 2.78 ERA, and 1.16 WHIP into his next scheduled start on the road against the Pirates.

Jon Niese picked up the no-decision, allowing two runs in 5 2/3 innings as the Mets lost to the Pirates 4-2 on Tuesday. Niese had blanked the Pirates through five, but ran into some sixth inning trouble when he allowed a two-out, two-run single to Starling Marte to knot the game at two apiece. Overall, Niese allowed three hits, walked four, and struck out two. The lefty now has a 2.74 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 45/19 K/BB ratio in 62 1/3 innings. Niese will face the Phillies on the road in his next start.

Jon Niese picked up his third win, allowing three runs over seven innings as the Mets defeated the Dodgers 5-3 on Thursday. Niese limited the Dodgers to one run over six innings, but Justin Turner tagged him for a game-tying two-run home run in the seventh inning. Overall, the lefty was effective, allowing four hits, walking three, and striking out five. Niese has been quietly productive for the Mets, carrying a 2.70 ERA and a 43/15 K/BB ratio. He'll go for his fourth win in next week's start against the Pirates at home.

Jon Niese struggled in Friday's start against the Nationals, allowing five runs (three earned) in four innings, resulting in his third loss of the season. The Nationals singled Niese to death, as seven of the eight hits he allowed were of the one-base variety. Niese also walked two and struck out only two. The loss, which sent him to 2-3, is his worst outing of the season. Niese will take his 2.54 ERA and 1.19 WHIP into next week's home start against the Dodgers.

Jon Niese allowed three runs on eight hits over six innings in a no-decision against the Phillies on Sunday. Niese turned in his sixth straight quality start despite not factoring in the decisoin, walking one and striking out six while allowing the eight hits. The left-hander hasn't enjoyed much luck -- he's still just 2-2 on the year -- but owners should take solace in his 2.17 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. He'll hope for some more run support hwen he visits the Nationals on Friday.

Jon Niese blanked the Marlins for seven innings on Monday, lowering his ERA to 1.82 in the process. Niese left with a 3-0 lead, but that was gone in the blink of an eye, courtesy of Daisuke Matsuzaka and an Omar Quintanilla miscue. At least Niese was strong again. It's still worth wondering if his arm will hold up, but he ranks among the game's ERA leaders right now.