Christian Scott Is Becoming a Mets Concern as Long-Ball Struggles Continue

It was another up-and-down showing for New York's starter on Friday night.

Christian Scott's struggles paint an uncertain outlook with the Mets. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Christian Scott made his second start since returning from the injured list on Friday, giving reasons for slight concern against the Braves. For the second straight start, and now both starts under interim manager Andy Green, Scott did not get out of the fifth inning and settled into the mid-80s for his pitch count.

Not due to ineffectiveness or struggles, Scott's outings have been routinely cut short of late.

For a Mets team that has lost hope for 2026 and is now building to 2027, finding who you can count on to be a part of your rotation is paramount. Scott's 3.49 ERA and strikeouts per nine innings of 11.02 are incredibly encouraging sights, but his lack of depth is becoming a significant red flag in his profile to be a rotation regular.

Scott's final line in his loss to the Braves was: four innings pitched, two hits, three earned runs, four walks and seven strikeouts.

Command issues continue to plague Christian Scott, leaving the Mets with an unnecessary headache. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Command was an issue for the former top-100 prospect, with four walks and 38% of his total pitches missing the zone. Along with missing out of the strike zone, misses in the zone were an issue for Scott, and it showed its ugly head on two occasions.

In the second inning, Scott would serve up a two-run homer to Michael Harris II on a first-pitch fastball that sat up in the zone, but center cut, an area of the plate that Harris has hit for some time. The next inning, Scott grooved a fastball inside and belt-high, which Ozzie Albies crushed. It was two homers allowed over four innings, a rate that is a growing issue.

ATL - Michael Harris II 2-run HR (15)

📏 419 ft | 💨 107.1 mph | 📐 26°
⚾️ 95.9 mph four-seam fastball (NYM - RHP Christian Scott)
🏟️ Out in 26/30 parks

NYM (0) @ ATL (2)
🔻 2nd#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/O1AfB6onqc

— MLB Home Runs (@MLBHRs_) July 3, 2026

Christian Scott must solve HR problem to remain in Mets' rotation next season

Over his past three starts, Scott has now served up a whopping six homers in 13 innings of work, with none of his starts crossing the five-inning mark. These issues come on the heels of his best outing of the year on June 5 in San Diego, going 5 2/3 scoreless innings of work against the Padres. It has been a stark drop-off, and seen his ERA jump from 2.50 to 3.49 in the time since that start.

If Scott is going to continue to struggle with homers, his standing in the Mets' 2027 rotation is going to get very uneasy. Aside from Nolan McLean, no Met starter seems to have a firm grasp on a 2027 rotation spot. Veteran Sean Manaea could grab one if he continues to rebound well as a starter, and Zach Thornton could if he starts and thrives again, but no one has a better shot than Scott.

If the Mets' former top prospect stays healthy, he will have three more months to work to claim a spot in the Mets' plans for 2026. Doing some simple math, he could be looking at 15 more starts this year, but that will need to come with over 75 innings of work.

Scott, above all, needs to find ways to stay in his starts longer. Homers don't typically run up pitch counts, but the mental barrier they provide and the demoralizing effect they can have on a starter can greatly shorten outings. Scott looked solid in Atlanta, but two bad pitches were enough to end his night early.

Scott has a homer problem, and until he and the Mets can find a way to solve it, his grasp on a rotation spot for next year remains somewhat loose.