New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza admitted that they have not made a decision on whether or not starting pitcher Frankie Montas will make his next scheduled appearance on Friday against the Seattle Mariners at Citi Field.
“As of now, he’s still in line,” Mendoza said prior to his team’s series finale on Sunday afternoon against the Milwaukee Brewers. “We have to get through today’s game, we’ll announce a rotation for the series against the Braves [from Tuesday through Thursday], but as of right now, we haven’t had any discussions just yet.”
Montas did not start his regularly scheduled outing on Saturday against Milwaukee. Instead, he got the ball in the second inning behind opener Reed Garrett. He lasted just three innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Despite the ineffective outing, it lowered his season ERA to a still-swollen 6.38 after he was hammered for seven runs in four-plus innings last Sunday in Queens against the San Francisco Giants — as a poor a start to life with the Mets after signing a two-year, $34 million contract to join the team over the winter.
What might have been an easier decision to lift him from the rotation has been made more difficult by the lack of success from the rest of the starting staff and the non-existent depth. The Mets have not had a starting pitcher other than David Peterson complete six innings in a game since mid-June. Depth options such as Tylor Megill and Paul Blackburn are working their way back from injuries, but do not boast the best track record, either. Griffin Canning is also out for the season with a ruptured Achilles.
Shelving Montas would most likely mean that the Mets call up one of their top pitching prospects, either Brandon Sproat or Nolan McLean, in an attempt to spark some life back into a listless team that finds itself amidst a season-altering slump.
