Mets shift Sean Manaea to bullpen 'for now' as rotation consolidates
Left-hander will be available in a piggyback role for Tuesday's series opener against the Padres, manager Carlos Mendoza says
The New York Mets will move left-hander Sean Manaea to the bullpen for the time being, manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday, making the veteran available in a piggyback role when the Mets open a series at San Diego on Tuesday.
Clay Holmes is scheduled to start the series opener, with Manaea set to follow out of the bullpen. Mendoza said there is no fixed script for Manaea’s usage and that the club will tailor decisions based on matchups and game situations.
"I think it depends on what lineup we get and where we are in the game," Mendoza said after Sunday’s 5-2 win over Texas. "We have got to be able to make adjustments and be flexible." The change comes as the club consolidates its rotation this week; Monday’s off-day allowed the Mets to alter assignments without immediately disrupting the rotation order.
Mendoza did not announce the rest of this week’s rotation, but right-handers David Peterson and Jonah Tong are in line to follow Holmes in the Padres series. Manaea has struggled this season, posting a 5.76 ERA in 11 appearances, 10 of which were starts.
In his most recent start against Philadelphia, Manaea allowed four earned runs in the first two innings before regrouping to throw three scoreless frames after a mound visit from Mendoza. The move to the bullpen is intended to give the Mets more flexibility in deploying the left-hander in shorter stints or matchup-based situations.
Sunday’s win provided a number of other developments for New York. Francisco Lindor stole second base in the first inning to reach 30 stolen bases for the second time in his career; Lindor’s 116 steals with the Mets are tied with Lenny Dykstra for seventh on the franchise’s all-time list.
Ryne Stanek tossed a scoreless 10th inning, stranding the automatic runner at second, and the Mets scored in the bottom half for the victory. Pete Alonso delivered the walk-off homer, the fifth of his career, which moved him past a group of former Mets on the club’s leaderboard. Catcher Francisco Álvarez reached base three times and continued a hot stretch in which he has a .313/.353/.667 slash line with four homers and 10 RBIs over his past 16 games.
The Mets finished interleague play at 24-24, marking the second consecutive season in which they recorded 24 victories against American League opponents. New York heads to San Diego with the bullpen usage of Manaea the most immediate roster adjustment, as the club assesses how best to deploy its starters down the stretch.