Why Star Rookie Pitcher Unlikely to Return to MLB Soon as Mets' Season Trends Down

The New York Mets' season has been trending downwards since late-April. But here's why you shouldn't expect them to bring back their star rookie pitcher anytime soon.

May 24, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Christian Scott (45) follows through on a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets could use all the help they can get with their season trending downwards for nearly the past two months.

Star rookie starting pitcher Christian Scott impressed in his first five starts as a big-leaguer with a 3.90 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 25 strikeouts across 27.2 major league innings. But the Mets sent him back down to Triple-A Syracuse after his May 30 outing, citing an innings limit for their young arm.

The Mets have since reiterated that Scott will be back at some point, and they were happy with what they saw from him. However, it doesn't look like they will be calling him back up until at least after the All-Star break in mid-July.

“We have a lot of off days coming up, so a five-man rotation is best for us moving forward,’’ manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters of the soon-to-be 25-year-old righty.

Mendoza said Tuesday that the organization is still mapping out a potential return date for Scott, but as previously mentioned they do not plan on shifting to a six-man rotation in the near future. This means Scott will continue to pitch in Syracuse for the foreseeable future.

The good news is ace pitcher Kodai Senga should also be back after the All-Star break. Should this be the case, the Mets can see what they have in Senga and Scott as a 1-2 punch atop their rotation down the stretch of the season.

Prior to their third and final road game at Dodger Stadium on April 21, the Mets were 12-8, but had just announced that star young catcher Francisco Alvarez would miss the next 6-to-8 weeks after under going surgery to repair a torn UCL in his thumb.

Ever since this day, the Mets have gone an abysmal 16-29 and are sitting at 28-37, which has them 17.5 games back in the NL East. And while they are only 3.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the NL, they currently trail seven other teams for the last playoff spot.

Alvarez returned, sooner than expected actually, on Tuesday night. But the Mets still fell to the lowly Miami Marlins by a score of 4-2.

It is clear that New York can use some more reinforcements right now, and with the trade deadline around six weeks away, time is running out to right the ship. Should the Mets be unable to turn things around by the end of July, they will be selling off veteran talent at the deadline for the second straight year.

They will have to improve their play in the meantime, without one of their young budding starters, Scott, who will remain in the minors for now.