Mets right-handed Adriano Houser will no longer start Wednesday’s game in Philadelphia against the Phillies. Instead, the team plans to call up the left-hander Joey Lucchesi from Triple-A to fill the starting role, according to the New York Post.
With José Butto giving New York just five innings of work and the bullpen already shorthanded, manager Carlos Mendoza was forced to warm up Houser twice during Tuesday afternoon’s 4-0 defeatso it is no longer available to begin with.
“We knew we were shorthanded and I talked to him and he said he was available and ready to go, which says a lot about who he is and what he’s willing to do for the team,” Mendoza said of Houser.
“We were trying to stay away the whole time, but we knew we had him available in case of an emergency and we had to use every guy that was available today and that’s what happened.”
Houser struggled mightily in his first few outings as a Met, posting an 8.16 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP while walking 20 batters and striking out just 16 before being moved to the bullpen to work on his mechanics.
The 31-year-old had a successful first relief appearance, working around two walks and a hit in two scoreless innings of work in New York’s 4-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves last weekend.
Houser was on his way to getting another chance to show what he can do in the rotation, but it appears he will have to wait a little longer.
On the other hand, Lucchesi has pitched well for Triple-A Syracuse this season, owning a 2.58 ERA (1.30 WHIP) in 38.1 innings over seven starts.
In nine starts last season, the lefty impressed with a 4-0 record and a 2.89 ERA (1.31 WHIP).
