Mets To Select Jonathan Pintaro

The Mets will select right-hander Jonathan Pintaro onto the MLB roster, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. They’ll need to make corresponding active and 40-man roster moves.

Pintaro, 27, has been pitching at Double-A Binghamton this season. He has started all 11 appearances but hasn’t worked a traditional rotation workload, usually going around four innings. He has posted good rate stats, striking out a third of opponents against an 8.8% walk percentage. The Mets had just promoted him to Triple-A on Tuesday but evidently decided they needed him on the big league staff instead. Sammon notes that he’s expected to pitch out of the bullpen, presumably as a low-leverage long reliever.

A product of Division II Shorter University in Georgia, Pintaro went undrafted in 2022. Once he gets into a game, he’ll become the second player in school history (after 1980s reliever Bob Long) to appear in the big leagues. Pintaro began his professional career in the Pioneer League before catching on with the Mets via minor league contract last June.

He combined for a 2.68 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning across 74 frames between three levels to begin his affiliated ball career. Baseball America ranked Pintaro as the #25 prospect in the New York system over the offseason. BA called him a potential depth starter and/or swingman who succeeds by varying hitters’ timing with a five-pitch mix.