The Mets’ rotation suffered a big blow on Thursday, as Kodai Senga landed on the IL with a hamstring strain.
Lucky for them, there are plenty of reinforcements on the way, as Paul Blackburn is set to rejoin the rotation on Tuesday while Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea are progressing well during their rehab assignments.
New York also has some intriguing options stashed down in the minor leagues.
Nolan McLean continues to dominate during his first full season as a pitcher, Brandon Sproat is finding his footing after a rough start to the year, and Jonah Tong has been cruising his way through Double-A.
Blade Tidwell, who made his big-league debut earlier this season against the Cardinals, is also still down in Syracuse and possesses significant upside of his own.
Though all of the young arms are starting to knock on the door, they seem to be a bit of an afterthought for the organization at the moment, with the amount of depth above them on the big-league roster.
President of baseball operations David Stearns indicated that they would be considered for a call-up if they continue to dominate — but they are facing a bit of an uphill battle.
“We’re going to make those decisions based exclusively on who and what group of players gives us the best chance to win,” Stearns said. “If we have a prospect that we believe gives us the best chance over someone else, we are going to strongly consider that.
“That being said, the volume of established major league pitchers we have makes that a steep hill to climb. We have pitchers at the majors we really believe in, who have proven to pitch at a high level. For a prospect to jump that, especially in a pennant race, is a high bar.”
McLean seems to be the closest to taking that leap with his stretch of dominance.
Sproat is working his way back into the mix after a rough start to the season. He’s put together four straight starts with three or less earned runs to bring his ERA down to 5.31 for the year. Still not where it needs to be, but a step in the right direction.
“He’s getting back to doing some of the things he did well while in Double-A,” Stearns said of Sproat. “He’s attacking hitters and he’s using the entirety of his arsenal pretty well. We saw the curveball come out a little bit more last night, which is important.
“At the appropriate time, he’s leaning on the changeup when that is the needed pitch. He’s not just trying to blow the fastball by guys. This is a talented guy with weapons, and sometimes you just need to learn again and again that you need to lean on your whole arsenal.”
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