Amazin’s DFA Teheran, Butto likely next up
ATLANTA — Julio Teheran’s tribute video — ha, ha — if he returns to Citi Field with a team other than the Mets would consist of a single frame: a snapshot of the graphic showing a scoreless game after two innings in his Mets debut.
As it turns out, that debut may have also been his Mets finale, after the veteran righthander was designated for assignment Tuesday by the club, which needed Teheran’s roster spot for bullpen insurance. The team selected reliever Dedneil Nunez from Triple-A Syracuse.
Teheran arrived last week on a one-year contract worth $2.5 million that was non-guaranteed. He will receive a prorated portion of that amount. If he isn’t claimed off waivers, he can elect free agency or accept a minor league assignment.
The Mets took a flyer on Teheran after Tylor Megill was placed on the injured list with a shoulder strain. But after pitching two scoreless innings against the Braves on Monday, the right-hander never survived a third inning in which he allowed four earned runs.
That letdown forced manager Carlos Mendoza to utilize his bullpen earlier than he would have liked. The Mets rallied for an 8-7 victory at Truist Park with reliever Reed Garrett providing a boost with 2 ¹/₃ scoreless innings.
Rather than option Garrett (who has been impressive in two multiinning relief appearances for the Mets) team brass opted to unload Teheran.
“It’s one of those where it’s not an easy decision, especially with a guy like that with so much experience,” Mendoza said before the Mets lost, 6-5, at Atlanta on Tuesday night. “But it’s where we are at with the bullpen. We needed a fresh arm today, somebody who can provide length out of the pen and we ended up making that decision.”
It leaves the Mets with a rotation vacancy, but that spot in all likelihood will be filled by Jose Butto, who is eligible to be recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Friday. Mendoza acknowledged Butto is a strong candidate to receive Saturday’s start against the Royals after last week giving the Mets a strong outing as the extra player for a doubleheader against the Tigers.
The Mets are in a stretch of 15 scheduled games in 14 days and had originally considered this stretch as a potential point for inserting a sixth starter. But the Mets’ lack of roster flexibility in addition to a diminished pool of options has all but scuttled the possibility of the team utilizing a sixth starter at this point.
“I don’t know that we’re in a situation or a position right now where we can talk about a sixth starter,” Mendoza said. “We have got to get through this stretch where we have got to play so many games in a row, but we have got to go day by day.”
For now that includes the right-hander Garrett, who also pitched three shutout innings in the nightcap of Thursday’s doubleheader against the Tigers. Overall, the right-hander has pitched 5 ¹/₃ scoreless innings from the bullpen with nine strikeouts.