At 40-57, the New York Mets have very little to look forward to for the second half of the season. They own the second-worst record in the National League and are 12 games back of the final Wild Card spot. Returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2024 will have to wait, at least until next season. Speaking of next year, that should be the Mets’ focus after the All-Star break.
Figuring out which players will be a key part of the team in 2027 and beyond has to be the priority over these next few months. On Sunday, the Mets got a glimpse of someone who may be a part of that. Zach Thornton was fantastic against the Boston Red Sox, throwing seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts over just 82 pitches – an incredible performance in just his third big league start.
Interim manager Andy Green announced after Sunday’s extra-inning loss that Thornton will remain in the rotation after the All-Star break. After an outing like that, giving him the runway to try and really establish himself at the major league level certainly seems fair. With the current state of the Mets’ rotation, the team is in desperate need of more dependable arms.
Nolan McLean burst onto the scene in 2025, and has been much better of late. Christian Scott has shown quite a bit of promise after missing all of last season through injury. Before fracturing his fibula, Clay Holmes was the team’s best starter, and while his name has been discussed in trade rumors, he has made it clear that he would like to stay. Besides the three of them, the rest of the rotation is filled with question marks.
Freddy Peralta‘s time as a Met has been disappointing, which will likely come to an end before the trade deadline. Kodai Senga has shown flashes, but has never been able to rediscover his form from 2023. While he has been better of late, it’s difficult to say how the team will move forward with Sean Manaea, mainly due to his contract.
The Mets are in search of solutions. If Thornton has a strong second half, he could very well be a part of that. Consecutive quality starts against the Philadelphia Phillies and the Red Sox are impressive. Especially when you consider Thornton has only been given spot starts to this point. With a more defined role, can he maintain that level of performance? It’s something to monitor throughout the second half.
