New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has decided Tylor Megill will fill the vacant spot in the starting rotation with Kodai Senga missing time due to a right shoulder strain. That means Jose Butto was optioned to Triple-A.
Megill and Butto were the two remaining candidates but Megill was the favorite all along. However, Butto left a strong impression after having an impressive spring.
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“We’ve been saying we were going to be facing some tough conversations and this morning we had one with Butto,” Mendoza said before the Mets’ exhibition game against the Marlins. “Not only the way he’s been throwing the ball, how he goes about his business and how good of a teammate. He basically did everything we asked him to do.”
Megill, 28, has a 3.45 ERA in five appearances this spring and spent most of last season with the Mets. In 25 starts last year, Megill had a 4.70 ERA. He was stronger for the club in the second half after he was sent down to Triple-A. When he arrived at camp, he had built up his throwing program, added velocity, and implemented a splitter.
Official: Tylor Megill has made the Mets’ rotation.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) March 20, 2024
“Credit to [Megill] and the way he approached his offseason and how he prepared,” Mendoza said. “He was working on new pitches and he came ready to go, just like Butto did. The outings and the way [Megill] threw the baseball and how he was bouncing back and this is a guy who has done it. He’s got a little bit more experience than Butto and we decided to go that route.”
Butto, 26, has a 0.90 ERA in four appearances for the Mets in the Grapefruit League this spring. According to the New York Post, Mendoza told reporters that he told Butto to be prepared for the first time the Mets insert a sixth starter into the rotation to provide extra rest for the others.
The Mets informed Tylor Megill today that he will start the season with the big league team. Jose Buttó will start the season in Triple-A but he’ll likely be up in the big leagues next month if the Mets use a six-man rotation during a busy stretch of games.
— Abbey Mastracco (@AbbeyMastracco) March 20, 2024
“He’s going to pitch a lot of innings for us and he’s going to give us quality innings,” Mendoza said. “It’s important. We have been talking about our depth the whole time and here we are. We are sending a kid that has done everything we have asked him to do and now he’s got to go down to Triple-A.”
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