SEATTLE — You can never step into the same river twice, and the New York Mets bullpen is almost never the same from one day to the next. The ever-evolving group in the pen will continue to do so over August, as manager Carlos Mendoza discerns the best roles for relievers acquired last month while incorporating arms coming back from injury.
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How’s all this going to work? Let’s run through some notes:
Reed Garrett is back
Reed Garrett is active for the first time in a month, making his return from right elbow inflammation. Mendoza said that, ideally, he’d ease Garrett back into action in a lower-leverage spot for three outs, but that “it never works the way you plan it.”
Garrett was a revelation for the Mets through the first seven weeks of the season, pitching to an ERA below one with a strikeout rate over 40 percent. In the next seven weeks, the ERA climbed to nearly eight and the strikeout rate fell to around 25 percent.
The Mets believe they leaned too hard on Garrett in May, when almost nobody in the bullpen was consistently recording outs. They’re optimistic they’re welcoming back more of the April version of the right-hander than the midsummer one.
Reed Garrett is back from right elbow inflammation. (John Jones / USA Today)
After he’s eased back in, Garrett is likely to be one of the club’s go-to arms in the later innings.
Adam Ottavino is still here, for now
To make room for Garrett, the Mets decided to option lefty Alex Young to Triple-A Syracuse, keeping veteran Adam Ottavino in the major-league pen. Young had pitched well, allowing a single run over seven innings. He, however, had minor-league options in a way Ottavino does not.
Though Ottavino’s overall numbers for the year (a 4.43 ERA) are subpar, the Mets like what he’s done outside of a miserable May. Ottavino allowed 13 earned runs in 11 innings from early May to early June; he’s pitched to a 2.27 ERA the rest of the season while striking out more than a third of opposing hitters.
“That month was hard for a lot of people, for us as a team and for a lot of our bullpen guys,” Mendoza said Saturday. “He found a way, as he’s always done, and he’s been pretty consistent for us. He’s a guy that takes the baseball and you can use him at any time in the game. You know he’s going to be ready.”
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The Mets have limited Ottavino’s high-leverage looks since early June; he has only three holds in that stretch. New York likes what the veteran brings to the bullpen’s mix, on and off the field, but it will have more difficult decisions as more relievers return off the injured list later in the month.
(Don’t forget that, when the Mets added Huascar Brazobán at the trade deadline, president of baseball operations David Stearns mentioned the flexibility afforded by Brazobán’s minor-league option. He, too, can be sent down if the Mets deem that best for the pen.)
Dedniel Núñez is next to return
Though Dedniel Núñez is behind Sean Reid-Foley, don’t be surprised if Núñez makes it back to the majors sooner. The righty is slated to throw his first bullpen session Sunday and could be in rehab games by the end of next week.
Like Garrett, Núñez would eventually return to a significant role in the late innings. The Mets like the idea of having Garrett, Núñez and Jose Buttó as multi-inning, high-leverage relievers who can serve as bridges to Edwin Díaz in the ninth.
Sean Reid-Foley needs some time
Reid-Foley, meanwhile, is working through some issues during his rehab assignment in the minors. The right-hander has walked seven of the 22 batters he’s faced, allowing 12 base runners in 3 1/3 innings. He’s not pitched more than one inning yet. Given his likely role as a long man, the Mets would need him to build up beyond that before a major-league return.
Reid-Foley is slated to throw “one-plus” innings Sunday for Double-A Binghamton. His 30-day rehab clock, just in case, extends to Aug. 26.
Can the Mets get by with a single lefty?
Sending Alex Young down leaves the Mets with only Danny Young from the left side in the bullpen. Danny Young has been excellent against lefties — a .520 OPS — while serving up some harder contact against righties.
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It will be worth watching how the Mets deploy Young over the next couple of weeks — if they turn to him in any bigger spots against two lefties sandwiching a right-handed hitter. Though New York has missed Brooks Raley most of the year, its bullpen has still done a solid job of limiting left-handers late in games.
(Top photo of Danny Young and catcher Luis Torrens: Isaiah J. Downing / USA Today)
Tim Britton is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the New York Mets. He has covered Major League Baseball since 2009 and the Mets since 2018. Prior to joining The Athletic, he spent seven seasons on the Red Sox beat for the Providence Journal. He has also contributed to Baseball Prospectus, NBC Sports Boston, MLB.com and Yahoo Sports. Follow Tim on Twitter @TimBritton
