Duda (hamstring) will return to the lineup Monday against the Phillies, Mike Vorkunov of the Newark Star-Ledger reports. Duda was held out of Sunday's lineup as a precaution, but the ailment won't end up costing him back-to-back games. He'll return to the three-spot in the order Monday afternoon.

Duda will not play Sunday due to hamstring tightness, Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal reports. Duda perhaps looked to have tweaked his hamstring Saturday night, but insisted to manager Terry Collins that he was OK. It turns out he's experiencing a slight bit of discomfort, however, so the Mets will play it safe and rest their first baseman for the afternoon contest. Consider Duda day-to-day heading into Monday's series opener against the Phillies.

Duda found his power stroke Thursday, going 2-for-3 with a pair of homers, a walk, four RBI and three runs in a win over the Cardinals. Duda's been a steady source of batting average in the early going, but after finishing with 30 long balls last season, he'd hit just three homers in the season's first 41 games, so it's nice to see him hit a couple balls a long way. Duda's numbers for the season remain fairly modest, but keep in mind that Travis d'Arnaud and David Wright are both within two weeks of returning from injury, which should energize the middle of the Mets' lineup and help boost the big first baseman's numbers.

Duda went 1-for-2 with a ht-by-pitch and only has three home runs and 13 runs batted in. Duda, after hitting 30 home runs and driving in 92 runs last year, has struggled to match that level and pace of production this season. Part of the reason for that may be the lack of strong support in the lineup behind him with David Wright (hamstring) still out and Michael Cuddyer scuffling a bit at the plate.

Duda is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies, ESPN New York's Adam Rubin reports. Duda has been surprisingly effective against southpaws this season, posting a .393/.452/.536 slash line, albeit in just 28 at-bats. This is still a good spot to give him a day off, with the Mets facing a tough lefty in Philadelphia's Cole Hamels. Duda's 21 career plate appearances against Hamels have resulted in two singles, five walks and eight strikeouts.

Duda went 1-for-4 with a run scored in the Mets' 3-2 win over the Orioles on Tuesday. Duda has cooled since his hot start, which may be partially due to the lack of protection behind him following David Wright's hamstring injury. He is still getting on base, but his slugging percentage is way down, impacted by Duda having just two home runs after 30 a year ago.

Duda reached base all four times up Thursday against Atlanta, picking up a single, three walks and a run. He just continues producing in the middle of that Mets lineup, and Duda's been offering extra promise by continuing to hit lefties -- he's now 7-for-14 against them this year. This could be the year that Duda puts together the full power-and-average package that he flashed earlier in his career.

Duda singled, doubled twice, drove in a run and scored one Thursday in a win over Miami. That's three consecutive games with multiple extra-base hits for Duda, who's racked up five doubles and a homer in that span. The early hot streak has his average sitting pretty at .395, and he seems locked in as the Mets' No. 3 hitter right now.

Duda went 2-for-5 with his first home run of the season and two RBI in Wednesday's win over the Phillies. Duda's been swinging well in the early going, but it took him 'til Wednesday against Phillies starter Jerome Williams to hit his first homer. He's racked up four extra-base hits (three doubles) in the last two games.

Duda is not in the lineup Friday. As expected, Duda gets the night off with lefty Eric Stults on the mound for the Braves. John Mayberry will start in left field with Curtis Granderson moving to right field and Michael Cuddyer moving in to play first base. Duda should be back in the lineup Saturday, but there's a chance he could sit again Sunday with another lefty on the mound. He is not a strict platoon player, but there will be plenty of times this season when he will start the game on the bench when a southpaw is on the mound.