Jose Quintana has been eager to start his season. But his timeline may not line up with the timeline the Mets have in mind.
The left-hander, who underwent bone graft surgery on his left rib during spring training, made a rehab start Sunday with Single-A Brooklyn and was hoping he would only have to make one more. But the Mets would like to see him increase his pitch count to about 75, and to do so, he’ll need to work in about 15-pitch increments. This would mean two more rehab starts instead of one, and a post-All-Star break return for the veteran southpaw.
This might be news to Quintana, who was hoping the Mets would let him get to 70-77 in his next rehab start.
“I’ll look into it, but 70 seems a little ambitious,” manager Buck Showalter said Monday at Citi Field before the Mets opened a seven-game homestand. “But I’m not handling that rehab. He may know exactly what it is. I’d be surprised.”
Quintana isn’t sure yet whether he’ll pitch at a higher level before returning to the Major Leagues to make his 2023 debut. The Mets have previously said that weather will be a factor given the frequent storms that have plagued the entire eastern seaboard during this early part of the summer.
Regardless, it doesn’t sound like Quintana will return within the next week or two.
“He wants to get back yesterday,” Showalter said. “Think about how frustrating it is. The team is in need of something you can bring but your body didn’t cooperate.”
Quintana didn’t necessarily seem frustrated, but it’s clear he wants to get back into competitive action after having been sidelined since March.
“I’m feeling close and excited about it,” Quintana said. “I’ve been working so hard to be in this position and I’m going to keep working to come back and be as ready as I can be.”
Historically, Quintana has been very durable, which is part of what led the Mets to sign him as a free agent during the winter meetings in December. Prior to this extended injury-list stint, Quintana had only been placed on the list three times, twice in 2020 and once in 2021.
But this was somewhat a freak injury. A lesion on his rib isn’t exactly a common injury in baseball and his arm and elbow both appear to be healthy.
“It’s been a little hard at times for me,” Quintana said about the lengthy rehab process. “I haven’t spent a lot of time on the IL. But the good news is that it’s not my arm. It’s an injury that happened out of my control and it feels really good to be close like I am right now.”
The Mets don’t want to rush him back, but they may have to if David Peterson doesn’t pitch well Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers. The lefty is being called up from Triple-A Syracuse to take right-hander Tylor Megill’s spot in the rotation. The Mets demoted Megill last week, needing him to improve his command and mechanics.
But Peterson had been even worse than Megill this season. The team said his underlying numbers are good, but on paper, the results look bad: An 8.08 ERA in eight MLB starts this season and a 4.86 ERA in seven minor league starts.
Showalter declined to cite a specific reason why the club opted for Peterson instead of left-hander Joey Lucchesi, who is 6-1 with a 2.36 ERA in nine starts with Triple-A Syracuse. The decision to use Peterson is still unclear, but what is clear is that the decision wasn’t made by Showalter alone.
“I lean that on [pitching coach] Jeremy Hefner and the people in Triple-A and player development,” Showalter said. “When they say it’s best, I’m in. No question.”
Right-hander Drew Smith was reinstated from his sticky stuff suspension Monday. The Mets also called up left-hander T.J. McFarland and optioned left-hander Josh Walker to Triple-A. McFarland previously played for Showalter in Baltimore and last pitched in the big leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals last season. The 34-year-old went 2-2 with a 2.76 ERA in 23 appearances for Syracuse this season.
The Mets cited caution with Walker, an injury-prone left-hander who pitched Sunday in Philadelphia.
“T.J. is throwing the ball well,” Showalter said. “There are a lot of guys down there that are throwing the ball well, and he kind of fit with his rest and everything in case we have a need here. Also, trying to protect [left-hander Brooks] Raley somewhat so he’s not being asked to do too much.”
Right-hander Mike Vasil was chosen to participate in the 2023 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. The league’s premier prospect showcase will be played July 8, the weekend before the MLB All-Star Game, at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. Vasil was the only Mets prospect chosen.
A Boston native who played college ball at Virginia, Vasil was recently promoted to Triple-A after going 1-2 with a 3.71 ERA in 10 starts with Double-A Binghamton.
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