The Mets’ bullpen carousel had stubbornly and admirably refused to start out for a month, the club having fun with a run of stability with the identical eight relief pitchers.
That point has ended, and the carousel is spinning into overdrive.
For one entire month — from Opening Day on March 27 until A.J. Minter hit the injured list on Sunday, April 27 — the Mets had rolled with the identical eight relief pitchers (with the technical exception of a one-day option of Max Kranick and a one-game summons of Justin Hagenman, who served as a bulk pitcher after an opener).
“I used to be type of like, ‘What?’” manager Carlos Mendoza said of the bullpen constancy. “I don’t know that I’ve seen this before.”
He knew that the group eventually would wish reinforcements, but he didn’t know that injuries would strike nearly concurrently.
Minter may very well be lost for the season with a lat strain that would require surgery (and brought him to the 60-day injured list Thursday). Their other lefty reliever, Danny Young, landed on the IL on Wednesday with an elbow sprain for which Tommy John surgery is on the table.
The scrambling Mets, who’re amid a stretch of 26 games in 27 days, called up Jose Ureña Sunday and DFA’d the veteran by Tuesday. This week they have already got called up and sent down Kevin Herget, Chris Devenski and Brandon Waddell.
The latter two were optioned ahead of Thursday’s series finale against the Diamondbacks at Citi Field, because the Mets brought up lefty Génesis Cabrera and righty Ty Adcock.
Cabrera, a six-year vet, no less than has a possibility of working his way into the combination because he became the one lefty reliever on the team. He “has been throwing the ball well” and has five “weapons” to retire hitters, Triple-A Syracuse manager Dick Scott said this week, Cabrera struggling for results (7.88 ERA in seven games) but missing loads of bats (12 strikeouts in eight innings).
Eventually, the Mets expect the recently signed and recovering lefty Brooks Raley to change into an option. More immediately, Mendoza believes righty Dedniel Núñez will probably be recalled for his season debut “shortly.”
Last 12 months’s revelation has been built up fastidiously, first in spring training and now with Syracuse, after his forearm concern that cut short his 2024 season. His stuff has been intact with Syracuse, and the Mets don’t need Núñez to be one in every of the interchangeable arms they’ve been calling up and sending down this week.
“We would like to make certain when he does come up, we would like to maintain him for a very long time,” Mendoza said.
One other possible option further down the road: Waddell, who impressed as Wednesday’s bulk pitcher with 4 ⅓ scoreless innings and can proceed to be stretched out as a starter on the lower level.
“But I could see a scenario where we would need him to be one other lefty out of the bullpen,” Mendoza said.
