José Buttó tosses scoreless inning for FCL Mets

Relief pitcher José Buttó was sharp during his rehab outing on Tuesday for the FCL Mets.

Jun 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets pitcher Jose Butto (70) reacts after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images | Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

The New York Mets saw some encouraging results out of one of their relief pitchers currently on the shelf.

Relief pitcher José Buttó tossed a scoreless inning Tuesday morning down in Port St. Lucie for the Florida Complex League Mets, striking out one while allowing just one hit on 12 pitches, eight of them for strikes. Buttó has been on the injured list since early July after suffering an undisclosed illness.

José Buttó tossed a scoreless inning for the FCL Mets today in Port St. Lucie.

Buttó was previously placed on the IL retroactive to July 1st with an illness. pic.twitter.com/ISdqsDuw0r

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) July 15, 2025

Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters on Sunday before New York's game against the Kansas City Royals that the team will determine how Buttó feels after his rehab outing to decide whether to activate the right-hander off the IL. If Buttó is activated, he will return to the Mets when they resume their season on Friday, hosting the Cincinnati Reds.

Read More: Mets' pitcher shuffle contiunes as another reliever heads to IL

Adding Buttó back to the bullpen would be a huge boost for the Mets, as the team has seen its bullpen struggle lately due to injuries and inconsistency from arms that are not major league-ready.

Before Buttó went down with his illness, he was proving to be a steady multi-inning reliever in the bullpen. In 31 appearances thus far, Buttó is 2-1 with a 2.47 ERA, 39 strikeouts, and a save across 43.2 innings of work; the 27-year-old also turned in a terrific month of June for the Amazins', allowing just one unearned run in 10 outings, striking out 13.

The Mets could certainly use that version of Buttó during the second half of the season and be the perfect setup man for their All-Star closer, Edwin Díaz, while they also wait for the impending return of lefty reliever Brooks Raley, who is currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.