The Mets are optioning right-hander Jose Butto to Triple-A Syracuse and can open the season with righty Tylor Megill as their fifth starter, supervisor Carlos Mendoza introduced to the workforce’s beat this morning (X link by way of Tim Healey of Newsday). He’ll be a part of Jose Quintana, Sean Manaea, Adrian Houser and Luis Severino within the workforce’s rotation to start the season.
Megill, 28, isn’t any stranger to the Mets’ rotation. Accidents elsewhere on the roster led to him making 25 begins for the workforce final season, and he’d began 27 video games mixed within the two seasons prior. Nonetheless, an offseason stuffed with mid-range pitching acquisitions for the Mets — Manaea, Severino and Houser all joined the workforce this winter — pushed Megill again down the depth chart. Had been it not for right-hander Kodai Senga’s shoulder damage, he’d probably have been ticketed for Syracuse himself.
As an alternative, Megill competed with Butto and did sufficient to persuade the workforce he was the popular choice. Each righties pitched nicely. Megill has tossed 15 2/3 innings and held opponents to 6 runs on a dozen hits and 4 walks with 16 strikeouts. Butto yielded only one run in 10 innings and turned in a pointy 9-to-2 Ok/BB ratio. Megill is the older and extra skilled of the 2, and he’ll get the primary look in rotation whereas Senga is sidelined. In 263 1/3 massive league innings over the previous three seasons, Megill has posted a 4.72 ERA, 22.3% strikeout charge, 8.6% stroll charge, 42.9% ground-ball charge and 1.50 HR/9.
Megill has flirted with a long-term rotation spot earlier than and can once more get an opportunity to show himself to Mets higher-ups early within the 2024 marketing campaign. Senga has but to renew throwing, as his preliminary three-week shutdown has been stretched at the very least one other seven to 10 days. He’ll want to totally construct his arm power again up each time he’s cleared to throw. That’ll probably be a weekslong course of. Megill must have the primary month of the season to make a optimistic impression. It’s all the time attainable accidents crop up elsewhere on the beginning employees and prolong that window; Severino and Quintana, particularly, have had their share of well being troubles in latest seasons.
As for Butto, he’ll head to Syracuse to start the season however will not be down lengthy. The Mets, as Healey factors out, have a stretch of 13 video games with out an off-day early of their season and will search for a spot starter alongside the way in which. Butto is predicted to be the following man up within the rotation and can be the main candidate for that position, if wanted. In 42 innings with the Mets final yr, Butto logged a 3.64 ERA with a 21.2% strikeout charge, 12.8% stroll charge, 42.2% grounder charge and 0.64 HR/9. He was hit exhausting in 19 Triple-A begins final yr however posted strong numbers between Double-A and Triple-A again in 2022. He’s coming into his remaining minor league choice yr and remains to be controllable for six seasons.
