The New York Mets received bad news on Wednesday night, the eve of Opening Day, as starting pitcher Marcus Stroman was diagnosed with a muscle tear in his calf.
Manager Luis Rojas declared Stroman “week-to-week” but he is expected to miss at least the first few weeks of the truncated 60-game season. Rojas said the injury occurred during an intrasquad scrimmage on July 17.
Stroman was the Mets’ presumptive No. 2 starter and the team was looking forward to a full season from the former All-Star after acquiring him last July in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. Stroman was 4-2 with a 3.77 ERA in 11 starts for New York in 2019.
Now, with Stroman out and star pitcher Noah Syndergaard already on the shelf due to a UCL injury suffered in March, the Mets are in desperate need of pitching depth.
Jacob deGrom is undoubtedly the Mets ace while Steven Matz will slide into the second spot in the Mets rotation. Newcomers Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha, who were both signed in December, will be the No. 3 and No. 4 starters in some order.
There are a few internal options that the Mets should consider as No. 5 starter but it’s highly unlikely any of these options replace the production of Stroman.
RHP Corey Oswalt started against the Yankees during an exhibition game on July 19 and looked decent in three innings. However, when Oswalt last started for the Mets in 2018, he had a 5.85 ERA in 17 games (12 starts). Last season, Oswalt appeared in two games and allowed nine runs.
LHP David Peterson, the team’s first-round pick in 2017, has the highest ceiling of all the potential fill-in candidates. Peterson has looked good during intrasquad games and posted a 1.50 ERA in Spring Training in March. During his three seasons in the minor leagues, Peterson has a 3.63 ERA.
Other names who’ve been mentioned have been non-roster invitee Erasmo Ramirez, Walker Lockett and Seth Lugo.
Ramirez is a MLB journeyman who’s bounced around Seattle, Tampa Bay and Boston. During his last stint as a starting pitcher in 2018, he had a 6.50 ERA for the Mariners in 10 starts.
Lockett started four games for the Mets in 2019 was rather mediocre. However, he was also placed on the injured list due to back discomfort and it’s unknown when he’ll return.
As for Lugo, the superb setup reliever had success in 2016 and 2017 as a starter for the Mets but has since become a weapon out of the bullpen. Thus, Rojas has repeatedly pledged to keep Lugo in the bullpen despite the injuries to Stroman and Syndergaard.
Of course, the Mets could always sign an outside candidate such as Francisco Liriano or Matt Harvey. Although, as for now, it seems likely that we’ll see either Oswalt, Peterson or Ramirez named as the No. 5 starter.
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