Ed Delany/MMO
The Mets have placed catcher Rene Rivera on the injured list with a hyperextended left elbow and recalled right-handed pitcher Franklyn Kilome, per Tim Britton of The Athletic.
Kilome originally came up with the Phillies organization, and was traded to the Mets in 2018 in the Asdrubal Cabrera deal. He made seven starts for the Rumble Ponies in 2018, posting a 4.03 ERA and 9.9 K/9 before going down to Tommy John surgery.
After missing a large part of 2018 and all of 2019, Kilome is finally healthy again, and at age 25, he quietly remains one of the better arms in the Mets’ system, with a mid-90s fastball that he pairs with a strong curveball. However, he hasn’t pitched at any level since 2018, and has never pitched above Double-A in his career.
Still, it’s probably wise for the Mets to bring up a young, fresh arm, even if he is coming off a major injury. It is unclear how long Rivera will be out, but they do still have Wilson Ramos and Tomas Nido on the roster to fill the catching void.
