Nieve could be making final start for Mets

New York (39-40) at Philadelphia (40-37), 4:05 p.m. ET

Marty Noble / MLB.com

PHILADELPHIA -- Fernando Nieve is to make his fifth start for the Mets on Saturday in the second game of their series against the Phillies. A chance exists that it could be his last. General manager Omar Minaya acknowledged as much on Friday night after the Mets' 7-2 loss to the Phillies.

Armed with a report about the Triple-A performance of Oliver Perez on Friday night, Minaya indicated that the rehabbing pitcher is likely to return to the big league rotation next week and that either Nieve or Tim Redding is likely to be moved to the bullpen.

The club hasn't decided who will be reassigned, but it was generally agreed on by Minaya and pitching coach Dan Warthen that Perez was ready to return despite a seemingly mediocre performance on Friday.

Pitching for the Mets' Buffalo affiliate against the Twins' Rochester squad, Perez threw 92 pitches in six-plus innings, but 46 of them -- half -- were balls, hardly an encouraging ratio.

Perez retired neither batter he faced in the sixth and allowed five hits, four walks and three runs.

He experienced control problems in his first rehab start as well, walking nine in 9 1/3 innings. He allowed only one run in 4 1/3 innings in his previous start, so his ERA against Triple-A hitters is 3.86, and he has allowed 17 total baserunners.

But the report the Mets received about Friday's outing, Warthen said, noted that Perez was "squeezed" by the plate umpire, particularly in the second and third innings, and that his control wasn't nearly as shaky as the ratio suggested.

"The velocity was good," Warthen said. "And when he missed, he missed close. It was a shotgun pattern."

Before the Mets engaged the Phillies on Friday night, manager Jerry Manuel said, "If Ollie has a good game tonight, we'll have a decision to make."

That decision seemed to gain no urgency, based on the raw data, but the scouting report afforded the club some reason to be encouraged.

If Perez returns to the rotation on Wednesday, he would displace Redding, who went just 2 2/3 innings against the Pirates on Thursday.