ATLANTA — The Mets are keeping all options open for a top pitching prospect as they evaluate how he might fit on the major league roster this season.
To that end, Brandon Sproat was scheduled Sunday to pitch behind an opener for Triple-A Syracuse, giving the right-hander experience entering a game from the bullpen.
“It’s just part of the development,” manager Carlos Mendoza said at Truist Park. “We have done it with all of our starters, pretty much. It’s part of the plan, part of the development. I feel like our Triple-A staff does a really good job of preparing these guys in case there’s a need here. And before you know it we need him to pitch out of the bullpen here. It’s kind of in preparation for anything that can happen here.”
The 25-year-old Sproat, who entered the day with a 2.06 ERA over his previous nine appearances for Syracuse — he had worked exclusively as a starter — is among the options organizational officials are evaluating.
As The Post reported on Saturday, the team in recent days has placed Jonah Tong’s name in the conversation for a potential call-up this season. Tong has not allowed an earned run in his two starts for Syracuse since his promotion from Double-A Binghamton. Overall, he pitched to a 1.43 ERA in 22 starts this season.
Tylor Megill is also rehabbing at Syracuse and could soon be an option for the major league staff. The Mets will add a pitcher on Sept. 1 when rosters expand, but also might be proactive beforehand and insert a sixth starter during a stretch of 16 days with a game scheduled.
The Mets injected youth into their rotation last weekend, when Nolan McLean was called up to join the rotation. McLean has provided two strong starts for the team since his arrival and is scheduled to face the Phillies on Wednesday at Citi Field.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
