Following Friday’s 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, manager Mickey Callaway announced that the Mets will promote Chris Flexen to start on Saturday afternoon. Flexen, 24, will fill in for ace Jacob deGrom, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 16) with elbow soreness and is currently headed back to New York for an MRI.
Flexen last started for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets last Saturday, allowing five earned runs in six innings with 10 strikeouts and two walks. The righty has made a handful of starts for the big-league team both last year and the year before, though the results have been uninspiring: an 8.45 ERA, 7.26 FIP, 6.42 xFIP, 2.15 WHIP, 6.8 BB/9, and 6.5 K/9 to shape a -1.9 bWAR and -1.1 fWAR.
He owns a better line since being promoted to Triple-A last season, though a 4.50 ERA and 1.48 WHIP don’t jump off the page, either. Flexen entered training camp 30 pounds slimmer this year thanks to an improved diet and training program, and was named the Mets’ impact prospect by MLB.com entering the 2018 season. He faced eight batters this past spring before being optioned in early March, allowing one hit and striking out two.
