Brandon Sproat was not one of the two Mets promoted to the majors on Monday, when MLB rosters expanded from 26 to 28 players.
Instead, infielder Luisangel Acuna and reliever Justin Hagenman, who already are members of the 40-man roster, are returning to the big leagues for the final month of the regular season.
That does not mean Sproat’s hopes of making the majors this season have ended. While he is not on the 40-man roster following the Sept. 1 deadline, which suggests he would be ineligible for the postseason as well, the 24-year-old right-hander can still get to the big leagues as an injury replacement, considering he was in the organization prior to Aug. 31.
The Mets are already using a six-man rotation after fellow prospects Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong got calls to the majors before the organization’s No. 5 overall prospect. Much of that stems from a difficult first half of the season, but Sproat has hit his stride in Triple-A following the All-Star break.
On Saturday, he posted seven scoreless innings while allowing just three hits with nine strikeouts and two walks. Since June 28 (11 appearances, 10 starts), he owns a 2.44 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched.
“It was good to see him throw the ball the way he did [Saturday],” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I think it was one of those where it’s like, ‘Alright, here I am, too.’ And we’re watching. We’re watching.”
A spot could very well open up in the rotation after Mendoza did not commit to struggling ace Kodai Senga following another poor outing on Sunday against the Miami Marlins, in which he allowed five runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings. Since July 11, when he came off the IL from a hamstring injury, he has a 5.90 ERA.
Sproat could also be used as a multi-inning reliever, a role with a high turnover rate throughout the 2025 season. In August alone, the Mets had six different relievers throw outings of three innings or more.
But Sproat did not fare too well working out of the bullpen, and the Mets’ rotation has been suspect, at best, over the last three months. McLean and Tong have excelled since their call-ups, and Sproat could add another invaluable shot in the arm down the stretch.
