In a mildly surprising turn of events, all NL East teams have a sub-.500 record entering Friday. The New York Mets are currently in third place with a 9-10 mark and a .474 winning percentage. Most of the problems have been associated with the offense, or lack thereof.
The pitching rotation hasn’t been a problem so far. The Mets, thankfully, have quite possibly the best pitcher in the planet in Jacob deGrom, and the other components have also been good: Marcus Stroman has a 2.22 ERA, Taijuan Walker is at 2.14, while David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi have been competent even if the numbers don’t fully agree.
Yet, the Mets gave up important assets to acquire Carlos Carrasco, together with Francisco Lindor, in January. The injured starter has been rehabbing a hamstring tear for a few weeks now, but could be on the verge of returning if we judge his last few steps.
The Mets are on the verge of getting Carrasco back
Mets’ MLB beat writer Anthony DiComo recently reported that Carrasco pitched five innings during a rehab game on Thursday in Port St. Lucie, Fla. He suffered his torn right hamstring in the middle of March and was given a 6-8 week timetable.
According to SNY, Carrasco could possibly be activated from the injured list after one more rehab start. That would be a dream scenario for the Mets, which would benefit from his steady veteran right arm.
Mets manager Luis Rojas had said on April 15, after Carrasco stretched out to four innings, that he was still considered “week-to-week.” And while his return isn’t imminent, it could happen in the first half of May.
Carrasco can be lined up in the same turn as Lucchesi, considered the Mets’ fifth starter, and could potentially take his spot on May 9 if everything goes well, although it’s just speculation at this point.