Conforto is out of the lineup Friday against the Red Sox.

EDGE Analysis

Conforto's absence isn't a huge surprise, as he continues to sit against southpaws (just 1-for-5 against them since joining the Mets) like the Red Sox's Henry Owens on Friday. Yoenis Cespedes will slide over from center field to take his place in left field, while Juan Lagares will receive the start in center and lead off.

Conforto went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run against the Phillies on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Starting with the Mets' trip to Colorado, the rookie outfielder's turned things on of late, going 7-for-16 with three doubles and a homer in his last five games and pulling his average up to .271. He's shown a strong combination of power and plate discipline over his first 24 games in the majors, and though Conforto won't play every day thanks to the Mets' outfield depth, he's looking like a solid fantasy option when he does crack the lineup.

The New York Mets optioned outfielder Michael Conforto to Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday. Conforto is being sent down to continue to get playing time, as he was likely heading for a reserve role after the team acquired outfielder Yoenis Cespedes before the non-waiver trade deadline on Friday.

Conforto, 22, is batting .313/.397/.492 with three home runs, 19 RBI and one steal in 34 games since being promoted to Double-A Binghamton. Conforto's average has spiked at this level, though he hit more home runs at High-A to begin the season. Still, for the offensively-challenged Mets, his possible to ascension to the big leagues should be viewed as an extremely welcome sign.

Conforto, who was just 4-for-his-previous-26, went 3-for-5, including hitting his third home run for Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday. With the three hits, Conforto upped his average to .333 for the B-Mets. Michael Cuddyer's leg injury could land him on the disabled list and there is some speculation that Conforto could get the call to replace him. But with just 121 plate appearances at this level and no time at Triple-A, the Mets may view Conforto as too green for the promotion.

Conforto has been promoted to Double-A Binghamton, NJ.com reports. Drafted 10th overall in 2014, Conforto has thus far lived up to expectations, building on his fantastic 2014 debut at Low-A Brooklyn with a fast start for High-A St. Lucie this season. He leaves St. Lucie with a .283/.350/.462 slash line over 206 plate appearances, along with strong strikeout (12.6 percent) and walk (8.3 percent) rates. Conforto could reach Triple-A Las Vegas by the end of the season, which would put him on track to debut with the Mets at some point in 2016.

Conforto is hitting .280/.340/.469 with six home runs and 23 runs batted in at High-A St Lucie. He should be promoted relatively soon to Double-A Binghamton. Conforto got off to a red-hot start but has regressed a bit lately. Despite that, he is expected to move up to the B-Mets before too long, possibly by the end of the month. If Conforto hits well at that level, he could see Triple-A Las Vegas before year end.