PHILADELPHIA — The carousel of pitchers continues to spin.
The Mets optioned left-hander Joey Lucchesi to Triple-A Syracuse after his start in Philadelphia and called up left-hander Josh Walker, giving the bullpen a second lefty and someone who can provide some length. But beyond that, the Mets received good news about two big league starters and bad news about a reliever and minor league pitching prospect.
To start with the good news, right-hander Tylor Megill will come off the injured list Monday when the Mets open a series against the Guardians in Cleveland. What happens with rotation with the addition of Megill is yet to be determined, especially since Kodai Senga threw a bullpen with good results Thursday in New York. There is still no estimated time for a return for the right-handed ace, but the Mets aren’t concerned with his prolonged rehab from a capsule strain and his request to take a step back from facing hitters and focus on his mechanics.
“I think it speaks to his approach to his craft,” said president of baseball operations David Stearns. “He wants to be right, even in a minor league setting and even a rehab setting. He doesn’t want to go out there unsure of his mechanics and unsure of what he feels so we’re going to respect that and allow him to work through that.”
Stearns said the next step is a rehab assignment. Since he already faced hitters twice, the Mets may skip another live batting practice session for Senga and have him go straight to a minor league affiliate to make a start.
He would start with about two innings and build his pitch count incrementally from there.
“The good news is we’re getting healthier,” Stearns said. “That is going to help us a lot. I think getting Tylor back, then Peterson and ultimately Sega really lengthens out our rotation and gives us some choices in how we structure our rotation, including a six-man.”
Right-handed reliever Drew Smith (shoulder soreness) played catch from 100 feet Thursday and will throw a bullpen Monday. However, he may need another rehab assignment. He completed one already, throwing twice for Triple-A Syracuse, and he was expected to return this week in Philadelphia. But he felt something in the back of his shoulder after he played catch over the weekend and with the pause in his rehab, the Mets may have to send him back to a minor league affiliate to throw in games once again.
“We’ll send him out and have him get some action in the minor leagues before we can activate him,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.
Left-hander Brooks Raley is still hoping to avoid surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament and the Mets are hoping this two-week shutdown will be what he needs to continue the healing process. However, left-handed relief prospect Nate Lavender was unable to avoid that fate.
Lavender sought multiple opinions on his injured elbow with the hopes of avoiding Tommy John surgery, but he underwent an internal brace procedure this week. He’s expected to be out for a year. It’s a huge blow to the Mets, who had hoped to get their pitching pipeline flowing this season, and to Lavender, who was on track for his big-league debut after a stellar 2023 season.
