The carousel of Metspitching keeps spinning.
The right-handerDue to an unspecified ailment, Jose Butto was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Friday, effective retroactively to July 1. To protect the pitcher’s privacy, the team chose not to provide further details about the sickness; nonetheless, he is anticipated to return after the All-Star break. Triple-A Syracuse’s Chris Devenski, a right-hander, was called up.
Just one day has passed since the Mets placed reliever Dedniel Nuez and starting pitcher Paul Blackburn on the injured list. The Mets choose Syracuse starter Justin Hagenman to start Blackburn in Friday afternoon’s Subway Series game at Citi Field. Right-hander Drew Smith and left-hander Brooks Raley, who both began the season recovering from Tommy John surgery, are now among the 12 pitchers on the injured list.
The Mets still lack a starting pitcher for Sunday’s series finale, and three pitchers have been gone for the season, most likely four in the case of Nu ez, who will need Tommy John surgery to repair a partially damaged ulnar collateral ligament.
The Mets may get two starters back after the All-Star break, if not sooner. Raley is now on a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton and should return within the next month. On Saturday, Kodai Senga will make his Double-A rehab debut, while on Tuesday, Sean Manaea will make his last rehab appearance. Two setbacks have further delayed Manaea’s return, which the Mets had thought would happen by now.
“Nobody will sit here and feel sorry for themselves,” manager Carlos Mendoza declared on Friday morning. It’s our responsibility to go out there and figure out how to win a baseball game, as I’ve stated often, including last night. We think about what we have to accomplish today. Everyone experiences adversity, but we are confronting a lot of it.
Now that the Subway Series has begun, our task is to, as I mentioned earlier, go out there, compete, and win a baseball game.
In all likelihood, the Mets will have to play from the bullpen on Sunday. The Mets need to see who they need in the first two games before deciding whether to start Devenski, right-hander Austin Warren, or left-hander Brandon Waddell.
Mendoza stated, “We have to get through today, and we’ll get through tomorrow.” We’ll have a better plan for Sunday after the game on Saturday.
