Why The Mets Plan On Using Noah Syndergaard Out Of The Bullpen Upon His Return

Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard has been a starter for the entirety of his big-league career (2015-2021).

However, if and when he finally makes his long-awaited return to the majors this season, the Mets plan on having him pitch out of the bullpen, instead of rotation.

So why are the Mets looking to utilize Syndergaard as a reliever, as opposed to as a starting pitcher, where he has shown flashes of brilliance in his six seasons spent in Queens?

The answer is simple -- the Mets view Syndergaard's arm as a weapon. And in order to get the most use out of him, there is no time to waste in having the right-hander stretch out his arm in order to rejoin the team as a starter.

“He’s someone that obviously has a lot of talent, has the potential to impact the game, and at this point of the year, we just mentioned sense of urgency, coming in and contributing in a shorter relief outing, whether that’s a two or three inning outing or whatever it may be, I think getting him to help the big league club is the priority when you get down to these last couple months of the season," acting general manager Zack Scott told reporters on Tuesday. "So if we can get him to come back in a relief role faster than you could - which is typically the case, typically you want to stretch a guy out to be a starter, it’s gonna take longer rehab - so I think, we’re looking at September. Getting him back in September in a role where he can help the club in relief would be a good thing for us to do.”

If they did go the route of having Syndergaard build himself up to be able to start games, Scott says it would push back his expected return date several weeks to the end of the season in late-September, and by then, it would be much too late.

The Mets' current rotation consists of Marcus Stroman, Taijuan Walker, Carlos Carrasco, Tylor Megill and Rich Hill. And if ace Jacob deGrom (right elbow inflammation) is able to return this season, he is also expected to come back around the same time as Syndergaard. So theoretically, Syndergaard is not necessarily needed as a starter.

Instead, he can strengthen a Mets' bullpen that the front office failed to add reinforcements to prior to the trade deadline. In the first-half of the season, Robert Gsellman and Sean Reid-Foley were the Mets' long relief tandem, but have since hit the injured list. If Syndergaard beats them back from the IL, which he is on track to do, he could potentially replace the void left by this duo.

Syndergaard has not pitched in a major league game since September of 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL in March 2020. Although Syndergaard was initially expected to be ready by June of this season, he suffered a setback in his second rehab start on May 27 in the form of right elbow inflammation.

The right-hander started throwing again in late-June, and recently began throwing bullpen sessions off the mound. The Mets do not have a set timetable for Syndergaard to restart a rehab assignment, but they are eyeing a return date of early-September.

Syndergaard is set to hit the free-agent market this offseason for the first time as a big-leaguer. But his contract year has not gone as smoothly as he would've hoped, which has ultimately hurt his value.