The Mets have announced that Rafael Montero will be promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas and make his Major League debut on Wednesday against the New York Yankees.
“We understand it’s a debut on a big stage,” Sandy Alderson said. “but we believe he is ready now.”
Additionally, Jacob deGrom will be pulled from his Triple-A start tonight. and be placed on standby to potentially be promoted to work out of the Mets bullpen. A final decision on deGrom is coming soon.
Sandy Alderson also said that while Jenrry Mejia is going to the bullpen, he will not be used as a closer – at least for the time being.
Montero, 23, will oppose Yankees rookie Masahiro Tanaka during his debut at Citi Field, and he will be capped at 180 innings for the year.
The Dominican native is 4-1 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.152 WHIP, an amazing showing for the Pacific Coast League. He has struck out 41 while walking 18 in 41.2 innings pitched this season. He tossed 5.1 no-hit innings in his last start for Las Vegas.
Despite Super Two implications, Alderson said he felt these moves are in the best interest of the team.
May 11
Terry Collins told reporters that there is no guarantee Jenrry Mejia will make his scheduled start against the New York Yankees on Wednesday, according to Anthony McCarron of the Daily News.
Collins said that if they do replace Mejia in the rotation, they will promote someone from Triple-A Las Vegas, and the buzz is that it will be Rafael Montero.
Mejia will not be demoted and will most certainly go to the bullpen. He told reporters that Collins informed him of the situation and that they will make their final decision after his side session on Sunday.
As I wrote yesterday, my feeling all along was that Friday would be Mejia’s last chance to make his case to remain in the rotation.
I’m excited for Montero to make his debut, and also to see Mejia go to the pen where I believe we’ll see the best of him.
May 10
There is a considerable amount of buzz circulating that when Jenrry Mejia takes the mound this evening against the Philadelphia Phillies, he could be making his last pitch to remain in the starting rotation.
While Mejia prefers to remain in the rotation, there is evidence to suggest that a switch to the bullpen would be an excellent move both for him as well as the team. Many scouts and evaluators believe that Mejia has shown the potential to excel in a relief role with a ceiling that could have him become one of the elite closers in the game.
While Mejia has been reluctant to relieving in the past, he is now open to the idea particularly if the Mets allow him to be the team’s setup man or closer.
Given Mejia’s electric and dominating arsenal, his maximum effort pitching style, and his bulldog demeanor on the mound, few doubt that he could become one of the most dominating shutdown relievers the team has ever produced. He has everything you look for in a great closer.
The move would also create an immediate opening in the rotation for either Rafael Montero or Jacob deGrom, both of whom are as close to major league ready as one can get.
While there are one or two arguments against a shift to the bullpen for Mejia, there seems to be a ton of solid ones for the Mets to go through with this plan.
Nothing has been decided yet. But take my word for it when I say that tonight’s start could be the impetus for what the team will do going forward this season.
This is a huge game for Mejia and if he wants to remain in the rotation, he could fight for that by giving the Mets a solid seven inning effort tonight to prove he’s more than just a five inning pitcher.
It should be a great game to open the homestand tonight with a lot of dramatic storylines, undertones and implications as well.
Lets Go Mets…
