The Mets will start Jose Quintana, Christian Scott and Luis Severino in the series against the Braves starting Friday at Citi Field.
The team is “talking” about how to proceed after that, coach Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday.
The Mets currently have five starters in their rotation, but that doesn’t include Adrian Houser, who was skipped for the final turn and replaced by Scott.
However, the Mets remain open to a six-man rotation, likely when Kodai Senga is ready to return in June. That means a decision will be made by Wednesday.
After this weekend’s series, the Mets will pitch Sean Manaea and Jose Butt in home sets against the Phillies on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
They will have several options before the series moves to Philadelphia on Wednesday. Quintana will return after a four-day rest. Or they could develop another starter like Joey Lucchesi, who last pitched Wednesday at Triple-A Syracuse.
Quintana pitched in a short sample size of two games this season with four days of rest in between, allowing nine earned runs in 7 2/3 innings (10.57 ERA).
The 35-year-old started five games with at least five days of rest and posted a 3.76 ERA.
Hauser, a veteran who admits he is in the worst funk of his career, posted an 8.16 ERA in six starts before being removed from the rotation, at least temporarily.
The right-hander has been available to the bullpen since Monday, but the Mets don’t need him yet, meaning he hasn’t pitched since May 2.
“He’s going to have innings,” Mendoza said, but it’s still unclear when and in what role those innings will be given.
Lucchesi, Syracuse’s only non-rehabilitated starter on the 40-man roster, has been playing well in Triple-A this season, posting a 2.58 ERA in seven starts. .
Tyler Megill doesn’t seem to be an option, at least for now.
The rehabbing right-hander pitched four scoreless innings against Syracuse on Tuesday and is expected to go even longer against Syracuse on Sunday.
Megill is a little ahead of David Peterson, but he too has been pitching well in rehab and could return as early as May 27th.
Of course, injuries could suddenly change the equation, but the Mets have a number of decisions to make regarding their rotation over the next few weeks, starting with Wednesday’s starting pitcher.
“We’re going to see where we are,” Mendoza said. “Do we want to go six-man the next round? There are a lot of factors to consider, like off days, bullpens, etc.”
