MLB: New York Mets at Detroit Tigers

New York Mets Michael Conforto (30) hits a single in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. (Rick Osentoski | USA TODAY Sports)

NEW YORK -- Michael Conforto is heading back to Triple-A Las Vegas.

The Mets demoted Conforto for the second time this season Friday and called up right-hander Seth Lugo as protection for Jon Niese, who is dealing with a knee issue.

Conforto, 23, was batting .200 (10-for-50) with one home run since being recalled from Las Vegas on July 18. Conforto had seen his playing time dwindle due to his struggles to hit left-handed pitching and the Mets' acquisition of outfielder Jay Bruce at the non-waiver trade deadline.

"I think he's pressing, starting to expand the zone too much," manager Terry Collins said. "He needs to go play. He needs to go get in the lineup every day. Down the road, I want him to be an everyday player and not once every three days. With the addition of Jay Bruce, it's tough to get all those guys all out there and I want him in the lineup. I want him playing."

Conforto enjoyed a strong rookie season with the Mets in 2015, hitting .270 with nine home runs and 26 RBI in 56 games after making the jump from Double-A to the majors. He continued to post strong numbers at the beginning of this season and was elevated to the three-hole after batting .365 in April. But Conforto's scorching start proved unsustainable, as he tumbled into a two-month slump and was subsequently sent down to Triple-A on June 26 to recover his swing.

Conforto returned to the Mets following a three-week stint in the minors but once again struggled to produce, striking out 15 times in 50 at-bats and seeing his batting average dip to .218 on the season.

"It's very discouraging because he was a huge piece of what we did last year," Collins said. "This guy was a dynamic bat in our lineup. He was a dynamic bat the first two months. But again, I think it's all part of the growing process that you have to make the adjustments at this level because the game gets faster, the opposition gets better reports, they start to make better pitches.

"He's just got to go find his swing, he's got to go get some confidence."

Maria Guardado may be reached at mguardado@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @mi_guardado. Find NJ.com on Facebook.