Morning Briefing: Another Mets Starter Goes Down

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

Or, maybe not a good morning given the events of Tuesday night. It proved to be another injury, another day for the Mets as starting pitcher Taijuan Walker left the game after just two innings with back spasms. It was the second time in as many days that the Mets lost their starting pitcher after just two innings after Carlos Carrasco was forced out of Monday’s game.

Walker walked two and allowed a hit in the two innings he did pitch against the Braves, before R.J. Alvarez came into the game. But, for the second straight night, the Mets couldn’t get the bats going and another tough night on the field was compounded by the loss of yet another key body. There were very few positives to take away from Tuesday and a battered and bruised Mets team can now only hope for a split with two games of this series remaining.

Tuesday proved to be a pretty eventful day in Mets land overall. It started with an MRI scan revealing that Carlos Carrasco will miss three to four weeks with a low-grade left oblique strain ended. And, if that wasn’t enough, many Mets fans got their wish before the game with the news that Brett Baty had been called up. The prospect, who has gotten plenty of hype, could make his major league debut on Wednesday.

The Mets will look to bounce back in the third game of this series tonight. Max Scherzer (8-2, 1.93 ERA) will take to the mound against Jake Odorizzi (4-4, 3.80 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:20 p.m.

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Carlos Carrasco will miss three to four weeks with a low-grade left oblique strain after undergoing an MRI. It is yet another injury blow for the Mets who already lost Luis Guillorme earlier this week, while Eduardo Escobar was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday’s game with a sore left oblique. The third baseman is expected to be placed on the 10-day IL.

The Mets lost another starter in Taijuan Walker to back spasms on Tuesday. While that sounds minor, there is no news yet on whether Walker will be able to make his next scheduled start on Sunday. If he can’t, that’s more bad news for the Mets who have had plenty already this week.

Mets fans finally got their wish on Tuesday. After days of hoping and shouting into the social media vortex, the Mets gave everyone what they were craving by calling up Brett Baty, their No. 2 prospect in the farm system. As first reported by our very own Michael Mayer, Baty flew out to Atlanta on Tuesday and he will be active for today’s game. The third-base prospect has been raking this year, first in Double-A and then in Triple-A.

At Double-A Binghamton, Baty slashed .312/.406/.544/.950 with 19 home runs and 59 RBI. Then, after being promoted to Triple-A Syracuse, the highly-regarded prospect continued to rake by hitting .364/.462/.364/.825 with eight singles and three walks in 26 plate appearances. Baty will provide much-needed infield help at third base and Mets fans will no doubt be keen to see his talents at the plate for the very first time in the big leagues.

Outfielder Nick Plummer was also designated for assignment by the Mets.

Edwin Diaz’s walkup entrance has become the thing of legend in recent weeks, thanks in large part to the brilliance of the SNY production team. The brains of that now viral video of Diaz entering a recent game against the Braves, John DeMarsico, the network’s director, was profiled by The New York Times and it is an absolute must read for all Mets fans.

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The Oakland Athletics selected Shea Langeliers and recalled David MacKinnon from Las Vegas. The A’s also placed Ramón Laureano on the injured list and released Stephen Piscotty.

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Rodolfo Castro was suspended for one game and fined for violating MLB policy when he played while having a cell phone in his back pocket. As you can see in the clip below, the phone clearly fell out of Castro’s back pocket as he was sliding to reach base. With MLB having found no evidence that the phone was used in-game, Castro plans to appeal the suspension per Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Rodolfo Castro was suspended one game and fined for having his phone in his pocket while on the field, per @JeffPassan. pic.twitter.com/ssR9u6zRA6

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 16, 2022

The Fernando Tatis Jr. fallout continues. Having been suspended for the rest of this year and for a chunk of the 2023 season, the San Diego Padres have reacted quickly by removing the Tatis Jr. Bobblehead night at Petco Park on Sept. 7 and replacing it with a Juan Soto City Connect shirsey giveaway. Probably a wise move given the circumstances.

While the Braves and the Mets were in the heat of battle, Atlanta got some good news with RHP Mike Soroka throwing four stellar innings in his first rehab start. The 25-year-old, who hasn’t pitched in two years after rupturing his Achilles tendon in back-to-back years, gave up one hit and struck out eight while throwing 45 pitches.

Sticking with the Braves, per Robert Murray of FanSided, Atlanta and outfielder Michael Harris II are deep in discussions on an eight-year contract extension. Harris II is slashing .292/.330/.508 with 12 home runs, 13 stolen bases and 39 RBI this year, while his glove has also been exceptional. Per Jon Heyman, the new contract would be worth $72 million.