Mets Immediately Take Wind Out of Jonathan Pintaro's Sails After Good Showing

Another head-scratching decision by New York amid a season full of them.

The Mets have sent Jonathan Pintaro packing despite his solid performance vs. the Cardinals on Wednesday. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

After a seven-run loss to the Cardinals in the series opener on Tuesday, history repeated itself for the Mets only 24 hours later at Citi Field. This time, the Mets fell 9-2 to the Cardinals in a game that was out of reach less than halfway through. Plenty of performances are to blame for the loss; however, one player who doesn't deserve the finger pointed at him is Jonathan Pintaro.

Recalled from Triple-A Syracuse before Wednesday's contest, Pintaro entered in the seventh inning before giving the Mets three solid innings of work. The 28-year-old righty allowed a home run on his only hit surrendered while striking out two of the 10 batters he faced. Thirty-one of the 46 pitches he threw were strikes (67.4%), and he didn't even allow a walk.

As fans felt optimistic about how Pintaro could build off this performance, the Mets had other plans for him rather than an extended bullpen stay.

Mets demote Jonathan Pintaro despite strong performance vs. Cardinals

On Thursday morning, the Mets announced that Pintaro has been optioned back to Syracuse. In a corresponding move, right-handed Daniel Duarte was recalled to New York's roster.

We have made the following roster moves. pic.twitter.com/KE8rQ2gbye

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 11, 2026

The Mets' decision likely stems from a desire to have as many fresh arms in the bullpen as possible after another relief-heavy game, but that doesn't make the choice any less embarrassing. That's especially true when relievers like A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley and Huascar Brazobán haven't pitched in a few days, as the trio last appeared on June 7.

Pintaro deserved to be rewarded for being one of the team's lone bright spots on Wednesday night. Opener Austin Warren surrendered two earned runs and a pair of walks in one inning, immediately putting the Mets behind the eight-ball. David Peterson followed that up with a performance to forget, giving up a whopping six earned runs on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings, furthering the argument that he doesn't have much of a future in Queens.

Pintaro has more than proved that he belongs in the majors between his two brief call-ups. He's pitched 6 2/3 innings across three relief appearances for the Mets so far, striking out five batters while allowing just one earned run—good for a 1.35 ERA. Opposing batters are sitting at a pitiful .281 OPS against him, and a lot of that has to do with a 90.7 mph cutter that limits the opposition to a .091 batting average, per Baseball Savant.

Despite the proven results, Jonathan Pintaro will have to wait for another shot in the Mets' bullpen. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

In the meantime, we'll see what Duarte can do if given the opportunity. The 29-year-old veteran righty has only made one appearance for the Mets this season, striking out one batter and allowing one hit over 2 1/3 innings against the Nationals on May 19. He also owns a 3.91 ERA with 19 strikeouts across 23 innings in 18 games (six starts) for Syracuse this season.

Fingers crossed that Pintaro's time back in Syracuse is short-lived so that he can quickly rejoin New York's bullpen. The Mets need all of the pitching help they can get if they want to climb back into the National League's playoff picture, and having a reliable arm like Pintaro's, which can give three solid innings, could help with that goal.

Now, all that's left to do is see if the Mets' 4D-chess experiment pays off or, like many other decisions this season, blows up in their face.