Lyons was back to sharing backup duties in and when the Mets traded for Mackey Sasser. In 1989, the aging Carter missed ten weeks after surgery giving Lyons a shot at starting but Lyons soon injured his foot. Sasser used the opportunity to prove himself as a starter. Despite the missed opportunity, Lyons had career highs of 79 games and 235 at bats in 1989 but only managed a .247 average with 27 runs batted in. It was the only season in which he led the team in games caught.