Buck Showalter back on Mets bench after medical procedure

Buck Showalter’s absence from the Mets did not last long.

“How do I look?” the manager began with a smile as he sat down for a news conference Thursday morning before a series finale against the Giants at Citi Field.

Showalter appears to be OK after a medical procedure Wednesday took him out of the Mets dugout. His replacements — the trio of hitting coach Eric Chavez, pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and player development coordinator Dick Scott — were active in the 5-2 loss, but they’ll likely finish the season as 0-1.

“I picked the night that [Carlos] Rodon was pitching on purpose. He was pretty good,” Showalter joked about the Giants’ starting pitcher the night prior. “We had a shot late there last night, but we couldn’t quite get over the hump.”

Showalter, 65, has not disclosed the specifics about the procedure but was joking, in good spirits and looking like himself.

His three-headed replacement opted for several late-game pinch-hits, and if Dominic Smith’s eighth-inning rocket went anywhere but Wilmer Flores’ glove at third base they would have looked better for it.

The one mental miscue occurred on the bases, when Starling Marte attempted to steal second with a runner on third and Francisco Lindor at the plate with the Mets down four in the seventh inning. Marte was thrown out, ending the threat. After the loss, he said he always has the green light and had no regrets about the decision.

Showalter was asked if he was comfortable with the play.

“I wasn’t there,” he said. “…It’s a teaching moment a little bit. But you gotta be so careful, too, about making him not aggressive.”