Photo by James Farrance Photography
Per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the Mets have officially announced that Walker Lockett will start in Zack Wheeler‘s place on Saturday.
Wheeler was placed on the IL on Monday with right shoulder fatigue, an issue which was later said to be more of a precautionary move. Still, the Mets needed to someone to step in while Wheeler recovers, and in that regard their options were very limited, especially with the recent trade of Wilmer Font, and Chris Mazza being used for two innings and 34 pitches in Wednesday’s games.
It’s still unclear when exactly Wheeler will be coming back, but there does seem to be hope that it shouldn’t be anything too serious. If the Mets want any chance of making a playoff run or receiving good value for Wheeler in a trade, a quick recovery is going to be key.
Lockett, who was acquired in the Kevin Plawecki deal this offseason, had a delayed start to his season but has made two starts for the Mets, giving up 10 runs in 7.2 innings between the two. His last start came on June 25.
Hopefully, this will turn out to be just a spot start rather than a long-term replacement. The Mets’ having to go to Lockett after a single injury is yet another exposure of their weak starting pitching depth.
