QUEENS, NY — New York Mets starting pitcher Paul Blackburn will need at least one more start in Triple-A Syracuse, scheduled for Friday, before potentially rejoining the MLB club for his 2025 season debut, manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed on Monday.
The 31-year-old right-hander, who continues to work his way back from right knee inflammation, made his fourth minor-league rehab start, his second with Syracuse, on Sunday afternoon. He struggled with his command, allowing three runs on four hits with three walks and two strikeouts on 60 pitches in three innings of work.
Mendoza previously said on Friday that they want to build him up to 70 or 75 pitches before making a decision about bringing him back to the majors.
“Overall, my stuff has been really good,” Blackburn told amNewYork. “[Sunday] was just one of those days where I didn’t really have any feel for my offspeed stuff. So that was just one of those days. But my body feels good.”
Blackburn was acquired from the Athletics at the 2024 trade deadline and made just five starts with the Mets (5.18 ERA) before sustaining a back injury that needed surgery.
He was the odd-man out of the rotation toward the end of spring training and was initially going to start the 2025 season out of the bullpen after Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning won spots that were left vacant by the injuries of Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas.
Montas is projected to make his Mets debut later this month, while Manaea’s setback last month could keep him out until June. The veteran southpaw, who was instrumental in helping New York during its run to the NLCS last season, threw 15 pitches off a mound on Sunday — the first time he has done so since suffering the oblique injury that sidelined him during spring training.
