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David Peterson

The Quiet MVP Of The Mets’ Pitching Staff

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Dating back to Opening Day 2024, the Mets have used 16 different starting pitchers. In today's MLB, that's not really an alarming number. It's right around the median. Clubs like the Dodgers and Brewers lead the pack with 24 starters apiece, while teams with steadier rotations like the Mariners and Twins clock in at only 11 starters each since last year. The Yankees, even after a couple significant injuries in the rotation, have used only 10 -- the fewest in baseball.

The Mets' usage of 16 starters in and of itself isn't remarkable, but it's probably fair to say it also wasn't exactly the plan. Two years ago -- an eternity in the world of Major League Baseball rosters -- they were still dreaming big on future Hall of Famers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander forming an elite trio with then-newcomer Kodai Senga. When that didn't go according to plan, the Mets blew things up at the 2023 trade deadline and treated 2024 as something of a bridge year.

The subsequent offseason was punctuated by short-term acquisitions to patch over the rotation. In came Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Adrian Houser -- the first two via free agency and the latter via trade. With Senga and Jose Quintana still on the roster from the year prior, the starting five looked largely set, at least on paper.

As is often the case with pitching staffs, injuries derailed those plans. Senga made one start in 2024. Houser made six before being banished to the bullpen. The Mets picked up Paul Blackburn at last year's deadline, and he made all of five starts before incurring a season-ending injury. Top prospect Christian Scott debuted and looked like he could help to smooth things over ... until he required season-ending Tommy John surgery after just nine starts.

There have been similar hiccups in 2025. Offseason signing Frankie Montas has yet to pitch due to a lat strain. Manaea, who opted out of his previous contract but returned on a heftier three-year deal worth $75MM, has been out all season due to an oblique strain. Scott is still on the mend from that UCL replacement. Blackburn hasn't pitched this season due to a separate knee injury.

But for the past calendar year, the Mets have quietly relied on a homegrown arm to stabilize the staff -- and he's stepped up and thrived as one of the most productive starting pitchers in the sport.

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Mets Notes: Peterson, Infield, Lindor

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David Peterson will make his season debut tomorrow, as he’s listed as the Mets’ probable starter for their series finale against the Dodgers. New York will need to reinstate the left-hander from the 60-day injured list. They already have an opening on the 40-man roster, so they’ll only need to make an active roster transaction.

Peterson slots back into the starting five after undergoing a labrum repair in his left hip in November. The rehab process went smoothly and the southpaw makes his return from the IL not long after he’s first eligible. Peterson has made six minor league rehab starts, the last two of which came with Triple-A Syracuse. He built to 89 pitches in his most recent appearance. He shouldn’t have much issue logging something close to a standard workload out of the gate.

The Oregon product has spent parts of the last four seasons in the New York rotation. He started 21 of 27 games last season, setting a personal high with 111 innings. Peterson’s 5.03 earned run average wasn’t especially impressive, but he punched out 26% of opposing hitters. While he’s never had pinpoint command, he managed a 3.83 ERA behind a near-28% strikeout rate two seasons ago.

It looks as if the Mets will plug Peterson into a six-man rotation. Rookie Christian Scott has pitched well through his first four appearances and should remain in the starting staff. Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana are all locked into rotation spots, although Quintana hasn’t pitched all that well. Tylor Megill has been excellent in his pair of starts since coming back from a shoulder strain.

Peterson’s return should at least bump struggling Adrian Houser into a long relief role. The right-hander’s hold on a roster spot seems tenuous, as he has been rocked for a 7.34 ERA with more walks than strikeouts in his first 41 2/3 innings as a Met. Houser can’t be sent to the minor leagues without his consent, leaving the Mets to decide whether to move on entirely or hope to get him on track in the bullpen.

Reed Garrett and Josh Walker are the only members of the current MLB bullpen who have options. (Dedniel Nuñez was up for today’s doubleheader as the 27th man but will likely be returned to Syracuse tomorrow.) Garrett has been arguably their best reliever and certainly isn’t getting sent down. Walker has been on and off the active roster a few times already. He could be optioned, though doing so would leave Jake Diekman as the only left-hander in Carlos Mendoza’s ’pen.

That may not be the only roster decision facing the Mets in the next few days. New York has operated without a traditional backup middle infielder since they designated Joey Wendle for assignment two weeks ago. The Mets have carried both Brett Baty and Mark Vientos, dividing playing time for the youngsters at third base. With Pete Alonso and J.D. Martinez at first base and DH, respectively, there’s not much defensive value on Mendoza’s bench.

President of baseball operations David Stearns acknowledged this afternoon that arrangement isn’t a long-term solution (link via Will Sammon of the Athletic). That came before today’s doubleheader, in which Lindor injured his left index finger on a bunt attempt. The All-Star told Tim Healey of Newsday that x-rays came back negative (X link), but it stands to reason the Mets would prefer to have some kind of shortstop insurance for the coming days even if they expect Lindor to avoid the injured list.

Aside from McNeil and Lindor, prospect Luisangel Acuña is the only healthy middle infielder on the 40-man roster. The 22-year-old is hitting just .254/.301/.353 in Syracuse and seems to need more development time in Triple-A. It’s likelier the Mets would select the contract of a more experienced non-roster player if they decide to add to their bench. Jose Iglesias and the recently-acquired Pablo Reyes are possibilities.

Mets Notes: Senga, Peterson, Houser, Alvarez

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Kodai Senga underwent an MRI on Friday and was diagnosed with triceps inflammation, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters (including Dan Martin of the New York Post).  Senga received a cortisone shot to deal with the issue and will be shut down from throwing for the next 3-5 days.

The news represents another setback for Senga, who has yet to pitch this season after suffering a moderate posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder during Spring Training.  Senga’s rehab process didn’t have any formal timeline attached, as the most recent reports indicated that he was first working on his mechanics before embarking on any clear ramp-up regiment.  Senga was supposed to toss a bullpen session on Friday before the triceps discomfort shelved that plan.

If there is any silver lining, Mendoza noted that Senga’s shoulder and elbow looked good in the MRI scan, so the triceps area seems to be the only concern at this point.  However, Senga and the Mets will now have to wait out this shutdown period before again re-evaluating the righty’s status.

Senga is already on the 60-day injured list and obviously won’t be activated when he hits the 60-day threshold this coming week, and it would now seem like he might not make his 2024 debut until perhaps after the All-Star break.  Assuming he emerges from this shutdown period feeling better, Senga’s rehab assignment will still take at least a month given that he has to essentially start his preparation from scratch after missing all of Spring Training.  From the Mets’ perspective, surely they weren’t going to take any risks with their ace righty’s health anyway, but there’s even less of a rush to get Senga back onto a big league mound since New York is 21-29 and doesn’t look like a contender.

An inconsistent rotation has been a big reason behind the Amazins’ lackluster record, as only five teams have a worse rotation ERA than the collective 4.59 posted by Mets starters.  Some potential help could be on the way since David Peterson is nearing the end of his 60-day IL stint, and he made his second and potentially final Triple-A rehab start last night. Peterson has a 2.79 ERA over 9 2/3 innings in those two rehab outings, tossing 81 pitches in his first start and then 89 pitches last night.

Peterson underwent hip surgery last November, necessitating a season-opening stint on the 60-day injured list given the procedure’s recovery timeline of 6-7 months.  It seems as though Peterson has gotten through his rehab in good form, so barring any last-minute health issues, the left-hander appears to be on track to be activated from the injured list this week.

Over four seasons and 333 innings for New York, Peterson has a 4.51 ERA while starting 64 of his 80 appearances.  While nobody expects Peterson to step in and be a savior for the struggling rotation, Peterson might at least represent an upgrade over Adrian Houser, who Mendoza said could be moved back to the bullpen.  Houser has a 7.88 ERA in 37 2/3 innings this season, starting his first six games before a shift to the relief corps, and was then inserted back into the rotation as the Mets moved to a six-man staff during a busy stretch of the schedule.  Things didn’t go smoothly for Houser in his return to starting duty, as he allowed six earned runs over five innings in the Mets’ 10-4 loss to the Guardians on May 21.

In another injury update, catcher Francisco Alvarez is expected to take batting practice today for the first time since undergoing thumb surgery back on April 23.  (MLB.com was among those to report the news.). Alvarez was given an eight-week recovery timeline, so it’s a good sign that he is already feeling better enough to face any sort of live pitching.  He has also been taking some pitches behind the plate, catching with a splint inside of his glove — a process that is likely to continue for at least some time after Alvarez returns to action.  The former top prospect was hitting .236/.288/.364 in 59 plate appearances prior to his torn thumb ligament, and this lengthy injury rehab has already drastically reduced what was supposed to be Alvarez’s second full Major League season.

Mets Claim Kolton Ingram

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The Mets have claimed left-hander Kolton Ingram off waivers from the Tigers.  Left-hander David Peterson was moved to New York’s 60-day injured list to create roster space.

Ingram was designated for assignment by Detroit earlier this week, and he’ll now be joining his third organization in under a month.  The Angels DFA’ed Ingram when they signed Aaron Hicks at the end of January, and the Tigers moved to claim Ingram off waivers.  The southpaw was initially a 37th-round Tigers draft pick back in 2019, but his second stint in the Motor City will last only a few weeks, as he now becomes the latest in a long line of Mets bullpen acquisitions this winter.

After first being cut loose by Detroit in 2020, Ingram caught on with the Angels prior to the 2021 season and posted some very solid numbers during his three seasons in the Los Angeles farm system.  The work paid off in the form of Ingram’s MLB debut last season, when he pitched in five big league games over a pair of call-ups during the course of the year.  For his first 5 1/3 frames in the Show, Ingram struggled to an 8.44 ERA with five walks and two homers allowed over 30 batters faced.

Control has been an issue throughout Ingram’s minor league career, though his 10.73% walk rate has been somewhat countered by a 30.21% strikeout rate.  This ability to miss bats has been developed despite the lack of a big fastball, though Ingram has worked to increase his velocity and also develop a sweeper as a plus pitch.  Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press recently profiled Ingram, detailing his steps to continually retool his mechanics and approach in the aftermath of getting released in 2020.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns built a reputation for finding hidden-gem relief pitching during his time with the Brewers, and Stearns has been aggressive in a semi-overhaul of the bullpen during his first offseason in change of New York’s front office.  Over a dozen relievers or swingmen with past Major League experienced have been acquired on either guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals this winter, as Stearns and the Mets’ pitching development staff will get to judge from a plethora of options this spring.

Peterson’s placement on the 60-day IL was expected, as he underwent hip surgery back in November.  The left-hander’s recovery timeline is 6-7 months, so if all goes well, he should be back with the Mets in May or June.

David Peterson Undergoes Hip Surgery

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The Mets announced this morning that left-hander David Peterson underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip today. The expected recovery timeline for the procedure is six to seven months, which means Peterson is all but certain to open the season on the injured list. A six-month timeline would put him on track for an early May recovery, whereas a seven-month trajectory could push into the summer.

Peterson, 28, had an uneven season in 2023 after what had looked to be a breakout showing the prior year. His 2022 campaign featured 105 2/3 innings of 3.83 ERA ball, as the former first-round pick enjoyed career-best marks in average fastball velocity, strikeout rate and ground-ball rate. He induced grounders at an even higher clip in 2023, but just about every other meaningful rate stat trended in the wrong direction. Peterson finished out the year with a 5.03 ERA, 26% strikeout rate, 10.2% walk rate and 54.5% grounder rate in 111 frames.

That said, Peterson also enjoyed an excellent second half to the year. A three-week move to the bullpen in mid-July/early August produced 11 innings of 1.64 ERA ball, and when injuries thrust him back into the starting rotation, Peterson looked like a new pitcher. He’d been hammered for a 6.46 ERA through 11 starts to begin the season but closed out the year with a 10-start stretch of a 3.88 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 11.7% walk rate — numbers that much more closely mirrored his solid ’22 efforts. Command obviously remained an issue for Peterson, but it was a promising end to the season that looked to set him up for another possible look in next year’s rotation.

Any such plans will now be placed on hold as he mends from today’s operation. It’s a notable blow to a thin Mets pitching staff that traded future Hall of Famers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander at this past summer’s trade deadline. With Peterson shelved, the Mets’ only established options in the rotation are veteran Jose Quintana and righty Kodai Senga, who turned in an outstanding rookie effort this past season. Depth options beyond that pair include Tylor Megill, Jose Butto and Joey Lucchesi, but the Mets are clearly lacking in the rotation.

First-year president of baseball operations David Stearns was already likely to place a heavy emphasis on acquiring rotation help this winter. The loss of Peterson for at least a month or two early next year only adds to that need. Pursuing multiple arms — likely at least one who could slot into the top half of the rotation already seemed likely — but there will be an increased need for depth and back-of-the-rotation options now that Peterson is recovering from a notable surgical procedure.

While Peterson’s injury clouds his 2024 outlook, it still seems likely that he’ll be tendered a contract for the upcoming campaign. He’s entering his first arbitration year, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a modest $2MM salary in his first trip through the arb process. Given his remaining three years of club control and remaining minor league option, that’s plenty affordable — particularly for the game’s most deep-pocketed club.

Mets To Select Josh Walker

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The Mets have optioned left-hander David Peterson, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. His active roster spot will go to fellow lefty Josh Walker, who was not previously on the 40-man roster, though the club already had a vacancy in that regard and won’t need to make a corresponding move.

This is the first time that Walker, 28, has been on a major league roster and he will be making his debut as soon as he’s put into a game. A 37th round selection of the Mets in the 2017 draft, he got some work in the lower levels of the minors in the 2017-2019 stretch before the minor league were canceled by the pandemic in 2020.

In 2021, he shot through three levels, going from High-A to Double-A and Triple-A. He tossed a combined 115 2/3 innings with a 3.73 ERA, striking out 21.5% of opponents against a 6.4% walk rate. Last year, he was limited by injury to just 13 1/3 innings over 13 appearances and has been working exclusively in relief here in 2023. He has tossed 13 1/3 innings over nine Triple-A outings with a miniscule 0.68 ERA, 34% strikeout rate, 11.3% walk rate and 32.1% ground ball rate. He’ll give the Mets a second left-handed relief option alongside Brooks Raley.

As for Peterson, he was called on to join the rotation as the Mets were dealing with injuries to Carlos Carrasco, José Quintana, Justin Verlander and the sticky stuff suspension of Max Scherzer. Unfortunately, he’s been lit up so far this year, currently sporting an 8.08 ERA through eight starts. There’s likely a bit of bad luck in there as Peterson actually has strong strikeout and walk rates of 24.7% and 7.7%, respectively. A .404 batting average on balls in play and 58.8% strand rate have helped some extra earned runs across the plate, but so have the eight homers Peterson’s allowed so far.

With Verlander and Scherzer both now back and Carrasco expected to rejoin the club in the near future, Peterson will head down to the farm and try to get things back on track for whenever the club needs reinforcements again.

Mets Notes: Scherzer, Peterson, Yacabonis, Carrasco

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The Mets announced that today’s scheduled starter, Max Scherzer, was scratched due to neck spasms. Left-hander David Peterson was recalled to start tonight instead. Right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left quad strain, which opened a roster spot for Peterson and allowed the lefty to return less than 15 days after being optioned.

The issue with Scherzer appears to be minor, as he was not placed on the injured list, but it is at least somewhat concerning that he’s not at full health. The 38-year-old hasn’t quite seemed himself so far this season, seemingly unable to get into a good groove. He allowed eight earned runs in his first two outings but came back with five scoreless frames in his third. It was in his fourth start that he was ejected for excessive stickiness on his hands, which also led to a 10-game suspension. He showed a bit of rust after serving that sentence, allowing six earned runs against the Tigers last week.

All told, he has an ERA of 5.56 thus far, a significant difference from last year’s 2.29 mark. The severity of this neck issue will likely become more clear in the coming days but it appears to be yet another speed bump for a rotation that has seen many. Justin Verlander started the year on the injured list due to a teres major strain and just returned last week while José Quintana has been there all year due to rib surgery and isn’t expected to return until July. Carlos Carrasco began the year healthy but landed on the IL after just three starts due to a bone spur in his elbow. All of those hurdles are part of the reason the club has limped out to a 17-18 start and is seven games back of Atlanta in the NL East.

It remains to be seen whether Scherzer will just need a few days of extra rest or a significant stretch of time off. Peterson will likely be quickly optioned in the former scenario but could also stick around in the latter, joining Verlander, Kodai Senga, Tylor Megill and Joey Lucchesi in the improvised rotation. Scherzer seems to be on the optimistic side of things, telling Tim Healey of Newsday that he’s expecting to miss just a couple of days and take the ball against the Nationals this weekend.

In a bit of good news, Carrasco seems to be working his way back as well. The Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies announced that the veteran will be making a rehab start for them tonight as he tries to get back to the major league team. He was initially planned to start his rehab on the weekend but those plans were pushed back when he fell ill. It seems he’s recovered and the train is back on the tracks. He had a 3.97 ERA for the Mets last year but struggled to an 8.56 mark this year before the bone spur put him on the shelf.

If the Mets get a bit of luck, both Scherzer and Carrasco will be healthy and pitching well soon, which will likely nudge out Peterson and then one of Lucchesi or Megill. The former has a 4.43 ERA through four starts while the latter is at 4.33 in seven outings. Peterson hasn’t been able to fare well in his time this year, currently sporting a 7.34 ERA in his six starts.

Mets Place Brooks Raley On 15-Day Injured List, Option David Peterson To Triple-A

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The Mets placed southpaw Brooks Raley on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 28) due to left elbow inflammation.  Left-hander David Peterson was also optioned to Triple-A, creating a second spot on New York’s active roster.  Right-handers John Curtiss and Adam Ottavino will fill that void, with Curtis called up from Triple-A and Ottavino activated from the paternity list.

Raley entered today’s action tied for the league lead in appearances (14) and holds (eight), and for the most part, the lefty has been quite sharp despite a somewhat misleading 4.76 ERA.  Twelve of Raley’s 14 outings have been scoreless, except he was tagged for four runs in an inning of work against the Brewers on April, and for two runs in his most recent appearance on Thursday against the Nationals.  His 22.4% strikeout rate is also below average, but Raley’s 2.0% walk rate is among the league’s best, and he is doing a good job of limiting hard contact.

Ottavino has pitched well this season and will likely slide back into his set-up/part-time closer role, with David Robertson still getting the overall bulk of save opportunities.  But, losing Raley is certainly a blow to the Mets bullpen, in part because he was also the team’s only left-handed reliever.  The Mets haven’t been particularly concerned with bullpen balance in recent times (given that Joely Rodriguez was occasionally the only southpaw in the 2022 relief corps), and chose to just recall Curtiss rather than select a left-hander like T.J. McFarland onto the 40-man roster.

Since the Mets optioned Peterson to Triple-A multiple times in 2022, it isn’t necessarily a shock that the left-hander is again headed to Syracuse.  With Justin Verlander set to be activated from the injured list next week and Max Scherzer returning from suspension, Peterson is the odd man out of the rotation mix after making six starts thus far in the 2023 season.

It has been a hard-luck year for Peterson, whose 3.59 ERA is well below his 7.34 ERA.  Peterson has above-average strikeout and walk rates, but he has also allowed eight home runs in only 30 2/3 innings of work.  (For comparison’s sake, Peterson surrendered 11 homers over 105 2/3 frames in 2022.)  The southpaw has allowed a lot of hard contact, but even the softer contact has been finding holes, as per his inflated .357 BABIP.  Peterson will get a chance to get himself on track at Triple-A, while remaining on tap as the Mets’ top depth starter.

David Peterson Wins Mets’ Final Rotation Spot; Tylor Megill Optioned To Triple-A

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Left-hander David Peterson has won the final spot in the Mets’ rotation over righty Tylor Megill, as first reported Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Megill has been optioned to Triple-A, the team announced this afternoon. He’ll work out of the rotation there (as Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reported earlier in the day).

The 27-year-old Peterson fired a dozen scoreless frames this season and remarkably allowed just one hit, although he also issued a troubling eight free passes. He overcame that shaky command both with the lack of hits and by punching out 13 of the 45 hitters he faced (28.9%). Megill, meanwhile, allowed 10 runs (seven earned) on 14 hits and 13 walks with a dozen strikeouts in 17 innings during Grapefruit League play.

A former first-round pick, Peterson has seen action in parts of three seasons with the Mets and generally fared well, logging a 4.26 ERA while fanning nearly a quarter of his opponents through 222 MLB frames. His career 10.7% walk rate is too high, but Peterson’s slider is a true bat-missing offering (47.9% whiff rate in 2022, per Statcast) and his changeup has been good enough to help keep right-handed opponents off balance. On many teams, he’d be locked into a rotation spot in the first place, but the deep-pocketed Mets spent extensively this offseason to fill out a rotation that saw Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker depart as free agents.

Unfortunately, one of the arms signed to replace that outgoing trio was lefty Jose Quintana, who’ll miss upwards of half the season while recovering from a bone graft procedure to address a benign lesion on his ribcage. Peterson is a much better sixth starter option than many teams can afford, and given that he posted a 3.83 ERA in 105 2/3 frames last year, he could well parlay this opportunity into a more permanent rotation spot. Carlos Carrasco is a free agent at season’s end, and Max Scherzer has an opt-out in his contract.

Like Peterson, Megill is 27 years old and is a better depth option than many teams boast. The right-hander made 18 starts in 2021 and posted a 4.52 ERA with more impressive strikeout and walk rates (26.1% and 7.1%, respectively). He made six starts early in the 2022 season as well, logging a pristine 2.43 ERA with a huge 36-to-8 K/BB ratio in 33 1/3 innings of work while flashing an upper-90s heater that had added significant velocity since the 2021 season.

Unfortunately for both Megill and the Mets, a biceps injury shelved him into June, and he quickly returned to the injured list due to a shoulder strain. He wound up finishing the season with an ugly 5.13 ERA, though his early work is a reminder of the raw quality of his arsenal. Megill has stymied right-handed opponents to the tune of a .202/.247/.331 batting line in his career, but lefties have torched him for a .307/.368/.368 clip. He’ll continue working to find some answers against lefties while working out of the rotation in Syracuse. He’s likely the next man up if the Mets need another starter early in the season.

José Quintana Out Until At Least July Due To Rib Surgery

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March 14: Eppler today provided reporters with more information, including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Quintana will undergo bone graft surgery on his rib and isn’t expected back until July at the earliest.

March 13, 3:15 pm: General manager Billy Eppler tells reporters, including Tim Britton of The Athletic, that the report of the three-month shutdown is “premature.” They are still talking to doctors about next steps.

1:30 pm: The Mets are planning to shut down starter José Quintana for the next three months, reports Mike Puma of The New York Post. The left-hander had recently been diagnosed with a stress fracture in one of his ribs and was sent for more imaging. It seems the injury is significant enough that he will miss roughly the first half of the season. However, Andy Martino of SNY has a slightly different viewpoint, reporting that the club is still considering different scenarios and will decide what to do in the next few days, with the three-month shutdown being one of the options being considered.

Quintana, 34, has long been a steady and reliable big league starter, primarily with the two Chicago clubs. From 2012 to 2019, he tossed 1,485 innings between the Cubs and White Sox with a 3.72 ERA. Outside of his rookie season in 2012, he made at least 31 starts and reached the 170-inning mark in each of those campaigns. That was followed by a couple of frustrating seasons, with a thumb injury holding him back in 2020 and the lefty struggling to get back on track in 2021. However, he finally got back into a good groove last year, tossing 165 2/3 innings between the Pirates and Cardinals with a 2.93 ERA, 20.2% strikeout rate, 6.9% walk rate and 46.4% ground ball rate.

The Mets were facing a great deal of rotation uncertainty this winter, with Jacob deGrom opting out of his contract while Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker each declined options. With all three of those hurlers reaching free agency and eventually signing elsewhere, the Mets spent aggressively to rebuild their rotation around incumbents Max Scherzer and Carlos Carrasco. They gave Justin Verlander an $86.67MM guarantee, $75MM to Kodai Senga and $26MM to Quintana, the latter on a two-year deal.

That gave the Mets a strong on-paper rotation but one with risk. Four of those five starters are over 34 years of age, while the 30-year-old Senga is going to be transitioning from a once-a-week throwing schedule in Japan to the five-day cycle of North American ball. We’re still not through spring and the Mets are already going to be turning to their depth options with Quintana set to miss significant time. Whether Quintana is ultimately shut down for three months or not, he’s likely facing an extended absence either way. Assuming Quintana is back to health in three months as planned, he will return to the mound in June. But he will then have to effectively redo his Spring Training, taking a few weeks to build back up to a starter’s workload, meaning the Mets will possibly have to look to other options until July or so.

Fortunately, the Mets have some solid depth options to turn to, such as David Peterson or Tylor Megill. The left-handed Peterson made 19 starts and nine relief appearances last year, posting a 3.83 ERA while striking out 27.8% of batters faced, walking 10.6% of them and getting grounders at a 49.4% clip. However, Puma reports that the club appears to be leaning towards Megill taking the rotation spot at this time. His 5.13 ERA from last year isn’t terribly impressive at first glance, but it’s possible that injuries played a role in that. As the Mets were dealing with injuries to start last year, they gave Megill a rotation spot and he posted a 1.93 ERA over five April starts. However, he allowed three earned runs in his next start and eight in the one after that, lasting just an inning and a third in the latter. He went on the injured list for biceps inflammation after that, came back for a couple more rough outings and went back on the IL for a shoulder strain.

Regardless of whoever ultimately gets the job, the Mets are now moving down their depth chart with this Quintana injury. It’s extremely rare for any team to get through a season without an injury like this, so the Mets surely anticipated having to call upon Peterson or Megill at some point. Still, it’s always unwelcome news when it actually comes into play. The club is set for what should be another tight divisional race this year, likely jockeying for position with Atlanta and Philadelphia for the top spot in the NL East, with the Mets already facing a significant hurdle in their path.

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