Brandon Sproat, one of the New York Mets’ top pitching prospects, was switched to a bullpen role during his regularly scheduled appearance on Sunday with Triple-A Syracuse, potentially foreshadowing a call-up to the majors.
The 24-year-old right-hander has been lights-out as of late in the minors, posting a 2.05 ERA with 57 strikeouts and a 0.850 WHIP across his last nine starts (48.1 innings pitched). But using him as a reliever would give him the opportunity to experience the role in a lower-stakes environment, should the Mets need him to step into the bullpen for the stretch run.
Granted, Sproat is a natural starter who could join the organization’s top pitching prospect, Nolan McLean, in helping revitalize the Mets’ starting rotation. McLean has been brilliant in his first two major-league starts, allowing just two earned runs with 15 strikeouts in 12.1 innings pitched (1.46 ERA).
It has helped stabilize a rotation that was one of the worst in baseball for two months, after reliever-turned-starter Clay Holmes’ production nosedived, Frankie Montas was demoted to the bullpen before being placed in the IL, while Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea battled injury issues that led to ineffective limits and contributions.
The Mets are currently in a 16-game-in-16-day stretch, meaning another arm like Sproat could help stretch out the rotation and preserve the current five-man unit. Should he run with the chance like McLean is doing, then it would be impossible for president of baseball operations David Stearns to send him back down during the final month of the season.
But the bullpen route is also an important issue that needs to be addressed. Ryne Stanek is sputtering to the tune of a 5.65 ERA this season, and one of the late-inning replacements that bumped him into a middle-relief role, Ryan Helsley, cannot figure out non-save situations. The 31-year-old righty has a 9.82 ERA since being acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline three weeks ago as a set-up man for Edwin Diaz.
