Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

Tuesday night, David Peterson endured another tough start for the New York Mets, his second in a row. He has been tabbed for nine earned runs in his last three innings of work, which is a stark and quick drop from his dominance against the Rays less than a month ago.

The quick drop from Peterson has raised questions regarding his spot in the Mets’ rotation, although manager Luis Rojas said his spot is safe after the game last night.

Still, it is fair to wonder how much longer the Mets can let Peterson struggle at this level before sending him down to Triple-A, which he skipped altogether last season when he made his MLB debut.

If New York was to demote Peterson, there are not many options they could chose from to take his place in the starting rotation. Although the main option for Zack Scott and company would be top pitching prospect Thomas Szapucki.

Szapucki, 24, has been with the Mets since he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 draft. He reached several Top-100 lists prior to his Tommy John surgery in 2017, but has rebounded nicely and reasserted himself as the Mets’ premier left-handed pitching prospect.

So far, 2021 has been fairly kind to Szapucki, considering his 2.05 ERA and 10.23 K/9. Szapucki has only thrown 22 innings on the young season, which is mainly due to his being on-call for a call-up earlier in the season. Meanwhile, Szapucki has struggled to control the walks. His WHIP currently sits at 1.41 and his BB/9 is at a career high 4.5.

However, Szapucki seemed to have a better grip on his command his last time out. He struck out seven over five innings and only walked one while allowing just one run.

Szapucki is the closest prospect to the show for the Mets. When I asked a Mets’ source about Szapucki, he characterized him as as close to being MLB ready as a pitcher can be. Szapucki is already on the Mets’ 40-man roster, so a move for Peterson can be as simple as a demotion and a recall.

However, there is a solid chance we see Szapucki soon regardless of any plans with David Peterson. The Mets are slated to play three double-headers in the month of June, and will likely need a spot starter for at least one of those games.

Szapucki is knocking on the doorstep for the Mets, and his time will most surely come in the 2021 season. However, it may come even sooner than expected if Peterson’s struggles persist. Szapucki may not only be the Mets best option to win right now, but he could also be a long-term solution past this season if he pitches up to his potential.