"He wants to pitch in worst way," Manuel said of Santana, whose scheduled start Tuesday at Washington had been up in the air since he left Thursday's win over Atlanta with a strained left pectoral muscle.
Dillon Gee, a 24-year-old righthander, will make his major league debut in Santana's place.
Mets blog
Santana declined to talk to reporters following a bullpen session before Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs. Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz initially said Santana "feels fine," but there would be no decision until trainer Ray Ramirez talked to team doctors later in the day.
Manager Jerry Manuel had said before the session that Santana probably would be scratched if he felt even slight pain, adding the Mets "don't want to take any chances." He said Ramirez and the doctors would have the final say. Santana is 11-9 with a 2.98 ERA.
Also in question was the status of Jose Reyes, who's been sidelined since Aug. 26 by a right oblique strain. Manuel was waiting to see how the shortstop felt after batting practice on Sunday before deciding whether he'd be available against the Nationals on Monday.
The Mets recalled infielder/outfielder Nick Evans from Triple-A Buffalo before Sunday's game. He was with the club July 9-16 and went 0 for 2.
Information from Adam Rubin and the Associated Press was used in this report.
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