NEW YORK — All told, the Mets have recalled David Peterson to their active roster six times this season. He’s started 16 games, pitched out of the bullpen in four others and threw another half-dozen times in the Minors. The only constant with Peterson is that it’s usually unclear what role he’ll assume next.
So it came as no surprise that after Peterson delivered six shutout innings in the Mets’ 3-0 win over the Rockies on Saturday, his immediate future was cloudy. Injured starter Carlos Carrasco is slated to throw a simulated game on Monday and return next weekend, theoretically bumping Peterson out of the rotation. The Mets’ lack of lefty relief depth makes Peterson an obvious candidate to shift to the bullpen for the stretch run, although so far, the team has resisted that move, considering him too important a piece of rotation insurance.
Peterson, for his part, continues to express an openness to any role.
“It’s an honor to be on this team and in this clubhouse with these guys and fight shoulder to shoulder with them every day,” he said. “I take a lot of pride when I’m given the ball and for every opportunity I get.”
To his credit, Peterson continues to thrive whenever the Mets ask him to start. He allowed only four baserunners on Saturday, all on singles, while retiring 10 consecutive batters at one point. Although Peterson has pitched only three times in the Majors in August, he owns a 1.69 ERA in those starts.
“The things they’ve done for us in times of need, it bodes well for the future,” manager Buck Showalter said, referring more generally to a group of depth starters including Peterson, Trevor Williams and Tylor Megill.
That time of need may be ending soon. Carrasco is potentially less than a week away from a return. Megill is also slated to come back from the IL soon as a reliever, with Joey Lucchesi also potentially factoring into the team’s pitching plans. If everyone is healthy, the Mets retain confidence in their preseason starting five of Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt, Carrasco and Taijuan Walker.
From the Mets’ perspective, there is value in keeping Peterson stretched out as a starter. He is clearly and obviously the sixth man on their depth chart, making him the top option should any rotation member sustain an injury down the stretch — a real possibility, considering all five Mets starters have already spent time on the IL. But if Peterson’s ultimate destination is the bullpen, there’s also merit in getting him acquitted to that role sooner rather than later. While Peterson does have recent experience as a reliever, his ERA is nearly a point and a half higher out of the bullpen.
It’s a decision Mets officials will mull in the coming days. Immediately after Peterson’s latest strong outing — a win in a game that saw Brandon Nimmo homer and Adam Ottavino nail down a low-stress save, allowing the Mets to move to 36 games over .500 for the first time since 1988 — Showalter wasn’t ‘t ready to reveal his plans.
“I haven’t gotten there yet,” the Mets’ manager said. “We’re going to get through tonight and see what our needs are. Not going to get ahead of ourselves. … But it’s exciting to know [Peterson] is there if we have a need.”
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