Next man down for Mets with Peterson hurting
Only the Mets can be absolutely certain their starting pitcher is healthy the day before his outing, just to have that expectation completely vanish the next morning.
Mets manager Luis Rojas was confident on Monday that David Peterson’s left shoulder fatigue was nothing to worry about. But the southpaw was scratched from his Tuesday night start in Miami and placed on the 10-day injured list after he woke up feeling “a little weird” with his shoulder, according to the skipper.
Right-hander Corey Oswalt was called up from the Mets’ alternate training site at Brooklyn to start in place of Peterson. Reliever Drew Smith was also recalled from MCU Park and righty Franklyn Kilome was sent down.
“It’s just shoulder soreness,” Rojas said. “We didn’t want to push it. And that’s why we’re making the move to go to the IL and hand the ball to Oswalt who’s stretched out.”
Peterson (3-1, 2.91 ERA) had been a boon for the Mets after Marcus Stroman started the year on the IL with a left calf muscle tear before he decided to opt out of the 2020 season due to COVID-related reasons. The southpaw, despite never having pitched above Double-A, fit seamlessly into the rotation and quickly impressed with his confidence and repertoire.
The manager said the Mets decided to place Peterson on the IL out of an abundance of caution, but the shoulder fatigue has bothered the lefty since his most recent start against the Nationals last Thursday. Peterson walked off the mound after the fifth inning of that 8-2 win grimacing and moving his shoulder as he went into the dugout. Though he was only at 77 pitches, Peterson didn’t go back out for the sixth.
Rojas would not reveal whether Peterson has already
received an MRI or if the Mets plan to take Peterson for further tests. The team has indicated since his start that the “shoulder fatigue” was not a serious injury, but the 24-year-old’s departure to the IL tells a different tale.
As a recent example, the Mets avoided placing Jacob deGrom on the IL after he was scratched from his start last Friday with neck tightness. Rojas said, as of pregame Tuesday, that deGrom is still in line to make his Wednesday night start against the Marlins.
“I went to bed last night thinking David Peterson was going to be our starter,” said Rojas. “I woke up this morning thinking David Peterson was going to be our starter. That’s not the case this morning because of what we found out and that’s what I’m telling you guys. There’s nothing hidden here.”
The Mets are still not committing to whether Steven Matz (0-4, 9.00 ERA) will make his next start on Thursday in Miami. The left-hander has greatly struggled in 2020, posting a 14.66 ERA in August and looking lost on the mound after getting into jams. But, with Peterson going to the IL, it’s likely Matz will remain in the rotation rather than being demoted to the bullpen simply because the Mets are running out of solid depth options to potentially pitch in his place.