Shorthanded Mets call on vet Teheran
A pitcher who once tormented the Mets is on his way to join the team.
A source confirmed to the Daily News that the club is in agreement with right-hander Julio Teheran on a major-league contract. With Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill on the injured list, the Mets felt it best to bring in another body instead of dipping into their Triple-A stash of pitchers to get starts from righthander
José Buttó or lefthander Joey Lucchesi. The team has not yet announced the contract and a 40-man roster move will need to be made.
Teheran, who came up in the Braves organization and pitched for the Mets’ NL East rivals for nine seasons, recently opted out of his minor-league deal with the Orioles after being told he would not make the Opening Day roster. However, since he went through spring training, he may be ready to be inserted into the rotation immediately. He posted a 3.38 ERA in 13 ⅓ innings of Grapefruit League play this spring.
Teheran could start for the Mets as soon as Monday, when the team opens a four-game series against the Braves at Truist Park. He threw as recently as March 23.
The 33-year-old Teheran is a two-time All-Star with 12 years in the league with the Braves, the Dodgers, the Tigers (one appearance in 2021) and most recently the Brewers. Teheran went 3-5 with a 4.40 with the Brewers last season when current Mets president of baseball operations, David Stearns, was an adviser.
Teheran is 10-10 with a career ERA of 3.24 in 30 games (29 starts) against the Mets and he’s 6-4 with a 2.97 ERA in 15 starts at Citi Field.
He’ll join another Colombian, Jose Quintana, in the rotation. With 92 wins for Quintana and 81 for Teheran, the two have won more than all other Colombian-born pitchers combined. The Mets have been saying for months that they are not yet ready to call up their top Triple-A pitching prospects like right-handers Christian Scott and Mike Vasil. Buttó and Lucchesi remain options, but this move shows that the Mets feel they are low on depth.
Senga, who has been sidelined since early in spring training with a posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder, is expected to remain out for the rest of the month. Megill went on the 15-day injured list Monday following his first start of the season with a right shoulder strain. The Mets are shutting Megill down from throwing for 5-7 days and will then reevaluate.
Right-hander Reed Garrett was called up to take Megill’s spot on the roster, which gives the Mets a fresh arm in the bullpen, but doesn’t give them anyone to fill his rotation spot. Teheran effectively fills that spot.