The Mets’ beginning rotation may very well be again to almost full power in just some weeks, however there are questions on what right-hander Frankie Montas will appear to be when he lastly makes his long-awaited season debut.
Montas will make two extra rehab begins, together with one Friday night time with Triple-A Syracuse, earlier than the Mets activate him off the injured checklist. In 4 begins up to now, the veteran righty hasn’t posted nice numbers, permitting 12 earned runs on 16 hits over 12 innings (9.00 ERA), with two begins in Excessive-A and two in Triple-A. Montas has allowed six residence runs, walked eight hitters and struck out 9.
Nonetheless, from the Mets’ perspective, numbers aren’t essentially one of the best willpower of what Montas is able to doing. With the lat pressure occurring so early throughout spring coaching, his rehab begins are primarily the equal of spring coaching video games. Pitchers use early spring coaching video games to work on particular pitches and situational points of the sport earlier than transferring on to issues like sequencing and execution in preparation for the common season.
“I think he’s still feeling his way back,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns mentioned Friday. “This was a fairly significant lat injury. He did a good job working through his progression, and I think he’s still searching a little bit. So we’ve got another one tonight, and then we’ll have another one, likely, I think next week. And those are two big, big outings for him.”
One of many causes the Mets signed Montas to a two-year, $17 million contract over the winter was due to his well being in 2024. After making solely 9 begins with the Yankees from the center of the 2022 season to 2023, he was capable of make 30 begins and pitch 150 2/3 innings in 2024 for the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers. His harm historical past naturally results in extra questions on his well being, particularly at 32.
The Mets have shortly turn out to be recognized for his or her capacity to take injury-riddled pitchers and pitchers who’ve underperformed with different groups and switch them into All-Star caliber arms. They did it with Luis Severino final season, who made all of his begins with the Mets. Sean Manaea was instance of this as properly earlier than he tweaked an indirect throughout spring coaching.
Nonetheless, with the success the pitching group has had in changing Clay Holmes to a starter and getting Griffin Canning to go from a 5.00+ ERA pitcher to at least one with a 3.22 ERA almost midway via the season, the Mets are assured they’ll work their magic on Montas as properly.
“They have good stuff, they’ve had success at the major league level, and maybe there are things that they got away from, or maybe there were things that we noticed that we’ve helped them get a little bit better at,” Stearns mentioned. “But the underlying commonality among all of them is that they’re talented. They’ve come in here and they’ve worked hard, and for the most part, we’ve had some decent results out of it.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Middle fielder Jose Siri had a setback in his restoration from a fractured tibia. New imaging confirmed the bone has not healed because the Mets had anticipated, which would require Siri to “back off” baseball actions. Siri has been hitting exterior, going via a operating development and taking outfield jumps for a few month with the hope of returning by the top of the month. That timeline is now not potential, and Stearns didn’t give an up to date goal date.
Tyrone Taylor will proceed to get the majority of the innings in middle subject, with Jeff McNeil seeing time there as properly.
Outfielder/DH Jesse Winker (strained indirect) isn’t any nearer to a return both. Stearns mentioned Winker continues to be “weeks” away from a rehab task.
The Mets received’t rush him again. Given the character of the surgical procedure the lefty underwent final April, Stearns expects them to make use of all 30 days allotted for a rehab task. However it may alleviate the necessity for the Mets to discover a left-handed reliever on the commerce deadline.
At the moment, Jose Castillo is the one southpaw within the ‘pen, with A.J. Minter (lat surgical procedure) and Danny Younger (Tommy John surgical procedure) each out for the season.
