The New York Mets lost starting catcher Josh Thole to a concussion on May 7. MLB now has a seven-day concussion DL, but Thole’s was bad enough that he’s now missed 22 games.

Friday, the Mets will have him back:

Thole activated, Nickeas survives; Johnson to minors. You could make an argument either way, but #Mets show some loyalty to Nickeas.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) June 1, 2012

You might wonder why Mike Nickeas is remaining, given that he’s hitting .148/.235/.230, and Rob Johnson is hitting .313/.371/.344. Here is one possible answer:

@AnthonyDiComo The fact that Nickeas can catch the knuckleball & had a pitching staff ERA 2 runs lower than Johnson makes this an easy call.

— Chris Klemmer (@WakefieldsBoss) June 1, 2012

Catching a knuckleball is not an easy skill; if the Mets have a catcher who can handle R.A. Dickey’s flutterball, it would certainly behoove them to have him stick around, given that Dickey is having a very good season.

For more on the Mets, please visit Amazin’ Avenue and SB Nation New York.