PHOENIX — A team that began the season boasting depth in its starting pitching rotation will get to show it off again when Tyler Megill is recalled for Friday's game against the White Sox.
Megill was a disappointment this season in his two stints with the Mets, but he has at least shown signs of success at the major league level, which is more than most teams can say for him as the eighth or ninth man in the starting rotation.
With Paul Blackburn on the disabled list with a bruised right hand after being hit by a 100 mph liner by David Peralta last weekend in San Diego, the Mets were left with few options beyond Megill, who has a 5.17 ERA in 10 appearances this season.
Megill's latest opportunity comes with Blackburn, as well as Kodai Senga and Christian Scott, all placed on injured reserve.
Another pitcher who began this season as part of the starting rotation, Jose Butt, was moved to the bullpen in early July and performed so well in that role that team officials decided to keep him there.
Brandon Sproat, the Mets' top pitching prospect, has struggled since being promoted to Syracuse this month, and Triple-A pitchers Dom Hamel and Mike Basile have not developed as much as the Mets hoped this season.
The Mets still have left-hander Joey Lucchesi, but he was deemed expendable enough to be designated for designation in July and then rejoined the team after not being claimed on waivers.
Now comes another opportunity for the 29-year-old Megill, whose talents include a 96-97 mph fastball and a powerful splitball he learned from Senga, but those qualities haven't translated into sustained success.
“When he struggles, a lot of the time it's on him and not the other team's fault,” pitching coach Jeremy Heffner said. “It's like, 'walk, walk, home run,' so if you can prevent the walks, when he gives up a solo home run, it's a lot easier to deal with. Also, sometimes he'll hit the ball with ease and then he'll falter a little bit. So just anticipating that punch coming and being able to throw it quicker than if he's like, 'I got hit it already,' and has to adjust. It's about anticipating it, and for him, it's more like a game within a game than anything else.”
Heffner said that at Triple-A Syracuse, Megill is focusing on efficiency so he can play more minutes in games.
The right-hander has pitched fewer than six innings in five of his past six starts with the Mets.
“He's throwing his fastball a lot more now, he's throwing it longer in games and he's trying to get strikeouts when he can,” Heffner said, “but the real focus is count control, throwing strikes, not walking batters, using his sinker to get fast grounders and just overall improvement in all his other pitches.”
Manager Carlos Mendoza had the option of starting Megill on Thursday, but given the opponent and the left-hander's recent success, the manager opted to hand the start to David Peterson against the Diamondbacks.
This allows the Mets to keep an extra relief pitcher on the roster until Megill can be recalled.
Blackburn will miss at least two starts.
If Megill proves himself, the Mets could consider him as part of a six-man rotation or as a long-term reliever in the bullpen once Blackburn returns.
“Where we are this season and where we're headed, having a guy like Megill come in and fill that hole is huge,” Heffner said. “Who knows how long he'll be here, but with five or six starts left and an arm like his, he has a chance. He's been dominant at the major league level and we're counting on him to do that.”
