Allen Greene, Kingsport
One of the Mets top prospects is officially headed to Queens.
Left-hander Thomas Szapucki, the Mets 10th ranked prospect according to MLB.com, has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse prior to Tuesday night’s series opening game with the Atlanta Braves.
Szapucki, a 2015 5th round draft selection by the Mets, is winless with a 4.41 ERA in 8 games (7 starts) with Syracuse this season. However, he holds a 2.81 ERA across five minor league seasons.
He pitched in just 47 games at the minor league level due to a range of injuries throughout his career, including Tommy John Surgery. Szapucki joins a Mets pitching staff in need of some fresh arms.
Jerard Eickoff, who has pitched a mere 10.0 innings for the Mets this season, has been designated for assignment in a corresponding roster move.
Eickoff went 0-1 with a 4.50 in two games started for the Mets. In his last start on Monday night, he allowed 8 hits and 5 runs (including 4 home runs) over 6.0 innings of work against the Washington Nationals.
Luis Rojas said pregame on Tuesday that for now Szapucki is expected to provide the Mets with some much needed length out of the bullpen, but along with Corey Oswalt and Sean Reid-Foley, the southpaw could be a candidate to start a game down the road if need be.
Nonetheless, it should be exciting for Met fans to watch a top prospect get the chance to finally compete in the major leagues.
