With newly acquired right-handedness Paulo Blackburn officially joining the Mets in Anaheim on Friday, as he prepares to make his team debut against the Angels, New York announced that Tylor Megill it was optioned to Triple-A.
Following the July 30 trade that brought Blackburn to Queens, the Mets moved Megill from the starting rotation to the bullpen.
The right-hander pitched 2.0 innings of relief on July 31 against the Minnesota Twins after starting Luis Severino fought. Megill allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out two on 34 pitches (22 strikes).
The 29-year-old had been removed from the minors a few days earlier to replace the injured man Christian Scott in the rotation and went 6.0 innings against the Atlanta Braves on July 27, but allowed four earned runs on five hits, including three home runs, and suffered the loss.
After the game that took place the day after New York’s defeat Kodai Sengawho was making his debut this season due to a calf strain, the coach Carlos Mendoza said Megill was still in line to make his next scheduled start, which would be Friday night against the Angels.
Instead, the president of baseball operations David Stearns traded by Blackburn from the Oakland Athletics before the trade deadline that moved Megill to the bullpen for now.
However, after that move was made, Mendoza told reporters that he and the team still see Megill as a starter, that the plan is to keep him stretched out, and that they are still deciding whether to go with a six-player rotation.
Right now, it appears the Mets will not use a six-man rotation like Sean Manaea, José Quintana It is David Peterson join Severino and Blackburn in the starting five.
In 10 games (nine starts) this season, Megill is 2-5 with a 5.17 ERA (1.43 WHIP) in 47 innings pitched.
