NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Mets top prospect Travis d’Arnaud has been cleared to play in games and could even be called up before the end of the season, general manager Sandy Alderson said on Monday.

The 24-year-old catcher is expected to start his minor league rehab assignment later this week at Single-A St. Lucie, Alderson said.

D’Arnaud was shut down in April after suffering a fractured left foot.

“We need to see him play for a while,” Alderson said, according to the Mets’ official website. “We only have 2 1/2 months left in the season, so hopefully he stays healthy the rest of the season and we get to see him a little bit here in September.”

Alderson said d’Arnaud would spend “a minimal amount of time” at Class A before moving on to Double-A Binghamton or Triple-A Las Vegas.

After that? Maybe the youngster will get his first taste of the big leagues.

“It would be a benefit,” Alderson said of d’Arnaud possibly being a late-season call-up. “If he’s healthy, he’ll get that benefit.”

D’Arnaud was the centerpiece in the offseason trade that send Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey to Toronto. He was batting .250 before the injury at Triple-A, with five doubles, a home run and eight RBIs in 12 games.

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