Why David Peterson Is In Danger of Losing a Spot in Mets Rotation

Even though it's still early in the regular season, the New York Mets are entering a pivotal series tonight on the West Coast.

The Mets are slated to begin a three-game series against the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. They are entering the matchup on a five-game losing streak and at 7-9 on the young season after getting swept by the Athletics over the weekend.

While there is still plenty of time left to turn things around, this is certainly not the team New York would like to face right now, given that the Dodgers are already looking like the World Series favorite once again. The Mets are also throwing out David Peterson for the series opener against Los Angeles, who is coming off a second straight dreadful start against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

With the Mets wanting to avoid their season from derailing this early, another bad start out of Peterson could spell some trouble for the lefty's status in the rotation going forward.

Why the Mets can't afford another bad start out of David Peterson

Despite logging 5.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts during his season debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 28, Peterson has not looked sharp at all during the 2026 campaign.

The 30-year-old followed up that impressive outing by lasting just 4.1 innings against the San Francisco Giants on April 2. He allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits with two walks and five strikeouts in a game the Mets went on to lose 7-2.

Peterson was once again knocked around in his following start against the aforementioned Diamondbacks on April 8. The big lefty was jumped on at the onset, allowing five runs on six hits in the first two innings. While Peterson retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced to complete five innings, he dug a hole that was too deep for the Mets to recover from in another 7-2 loss. The southpaw in his three starts thus far has an 0-2 record with a 6.14 ERA, 14 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.84 in 14.2 innings of work.

The Mets were hoping that Peterson would be able to shake off his second-half struggles from last season after a dominant first half. That has not been the case, and if Peterson's struggles continue to persist against the mighty Dodgers tonight, it may force manager Carlos Mendoza's hand to shake up the rotation that may not include Peterson.

One option that seems the most likely would be adding Sean Manaea back in there. The fellow lefty has begun to look like his old self during his new role as a long reliever out of the bullpen. Manaea pitched the final three innings during the Mets' 1-0 loss to the Athletics on Sunday, retiring all nine batters he faced with four strikeouts and has only allowed three earned runs in his three outings thus far. It would not be a surprise if the 34-year-old eventually pitches himself back into the starting rotation.

New York could also use fellow long reliever Tobias Myers, who has experience as a starter with the Milwaukee Brewers, as well as eventually calling up either Christian Scott or Jonah Tong, who have both shown impressive flashes during their brief time in the major leagues.

The Mets have options and a lot of depth out of their starting pitching department. And if David Peterson can't prove to be a long-term answer out of the rotation, a change could be on the horizon.

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