Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
It looks like New York Mets right-hander Taijuan Walker (right shoulder bursitis) is ready to take another step towards his return to the big league rotation.
Walker made a rehab start in a scrimmage against Mets minor leaguers at extended spring training on Wednesday afternoon. It was expected that Walker will throw three innings or about 40 to 50 pitches.
Walker pitched three scoreless innings in Jupiter in extended spring training. He allowed one hit, one walk, and struck out seven batters. The first and third innings were extended by a hitter to give Walker more work.
Mets manager Buck Showalter indicated this weekend that Walker would probably make more than one rehab outing to build up his stamina before returning. However, if all goes well, we could see Walker back out on the bump for the Mets next week against the St. Louis Cardinals.
If not, left-hander David Peterson will likely take the ball in his spot in the rotation again.
Since Walker went down during last Monday’s start against the Phillies, Peterson has stepped up tremendously. The young southpaw threw four shutout innings in relief of Walker in the 4-5 loss in Philly.
After Walker ultimately landed on the injured list, Peterson received the nod on Sunday afternoon, and he tossed four more scoreless innings in the 5-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Despite Walker tossing just two innings and the absence of ace Jacob deGrom, the Mets’ starting rotation has been historically good to start the year. Over the first ten games, they’ve posted a 1.07 ERA, which is the lowest mark since earned run became a stat in 1913.
