Facing a constantly shifting starting rotation, the New York Mets are temporarily moving left-hander Sean Manaea to the bullpen.
Manaea was available for relief duty in Sunday’s series finale against the Texas Rangers and is slated to pitch after starter Clay Holmes in Tuesday’s series opener against the San Diego Padres.
The move comes as the Mets adjust their pitching plans following the recent promotions of rookies Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat. After a brief period with a six-man rotation, the team will revert to a five-man staff for the remainder of the season, utilizing two upcoming off days.
Signed to a three-year, $75 million contract this offseason, Manaea has struggled in his return from oblique and elbow injuries that sidelined him for the first three months. In 11 appearances, including 10 starts, he holds a 5.76 ERA, and the Mets are 3-7 in games he has started. While he has shown effective stretches, his outings have often been undone by high-scoring innings.
Despite the poor results, Manaea’s underlying numbers show promise. He has posted a career-best 29.2% strikeout rate and his lowest walk rate since the 2020 season. Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner expressed confidence earlier this week, stating, “I think Sean’s close,” and noting encouraging signs in his fastball location.
The Mets’ rotation as a whole has been inconsistent, particularly during their recent eight-game losing streak, in which no starter has pitched more than six innings.
For the upcoming series against the Padres, David Peterson is scheduled to start on Wednesday, followed by Tong on Thursday. The team may also use the Manaea-Holmes tandem again in the subsequent series against the Washington Nationals, with the possibility of Manaea starting that game.
These adjustments are being made while Kodai Senga remains in the minor leagues. The Mets optioned Senga to Triple-A on September 5 and, despite a strong performance Friday where he allowed one run with eight strikeouts in six innings, have decided to give him another start there.
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