Zach Thornton's Second Chance With Mets Could Be Right Around the Corner

Is he up for the task?

Zach Thornton might get a chance to prove himself to the Mets again before the week is over. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Citi Field is going to be busy this week as the Mets are set to host two series in Queens. Things begin on Tuesday, with the Mets facing the Cardinals for a trio of matchups, before the week closes out with the MLB-leading Braves coming to town over the weekend. Needless to say, the Mets will have their hands full as they attempt to claw back into the National League Wild Card race.

One issue plaguing New York this week, as it has in the past, is the lack of a fifth starter. The Mets haven't been strangers to bullpen games lately, but that doesn't change the fact that fans are wondering whether or not manager Carlos Mendoza is planning to move away from that plan anytime soon.

Interestingly enough, the New York Post's Mike Puma is reporting that Zach Thornton (along with Kodai Senga) is in contention to be called up and start in Saturday's clash with the Braves. After how his first MLB promotion of the season went, though, Mets fans are hoping to see a better version of Thornton if he gets the nod this weekend.

Mets could give Zach Thornton the opportunity he's been waiting for

A former fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft, Thornton is a talented pitcher who's been a solid force for Triple-A Syracuse and Double-A Binghamton this season. Between the two minor-league levels, the 24-year-old southpaw has pitched to a 3.75 ERA while striking out 51 batters in 50 1/3 innings across 10 appearances (nine starts) so far.

Unfortunately, Thornton's minor-league success didn't translate to the big-league level when he was promoted to the Mets' starting rotation last month. He made his MLB debut in a forgettable outing vs. the Nationals on May 20, surrendering four earned runs, one homer, four hits, and two walks in 4 1/3 innings, being credited with the defeat in the 8-4 loss to the NL East rivals.

Zach Thornton's MLB debut didn't go as planned last month. Will his next Mets call-up be better than the first? | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Since returning to Syracuse, though, Thornton has shown some encouraging signs. Sure, allowing six earned runs on seven hits in his minor-league return on May 27 wasn't ideal, but he's since rebounded by allowing only two earned runs on six hits across nine innings in his last two outings, which also includes nine strikeouts.

Another encouraging sign is that Thornton did have a few bright spots during his last stint in the majors. For instance, the Nationals batted .200 with an 88.4 mph average exit velocity when it came to the 22 four-seamers he threw, according to Baseball Savant, which is a good sign. His sweeper also had a 40% whiff rate on nine attempts.

Even in the minors, he's impressively getting opponents to swing at 29.4% of pitches outside of the strike zone and at 47.8% of pitches in general, per Prospect Savant. If he finds a way to be that effective in the majors, it would give the Mets a huge boost down the stretch.

Zach Thornton have yourself a day! 👏

5.0 IP | 0 R | 0 ER | 5 K | 2 H | 2 BB pic.twitter.com/Cjpy48lfGS

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) June 7, 2026

One game is too small a sample size to write off any player, so Thornton's dismal debut should be left in the rearview mirror. He's since done a solid job of bouncing back after returning to Syracuse, so let's hope that he's ready to put his best foot forward if the Mets call his name for this weekend's series with the Braves—a squad that has the third-most home runs (28) and most RBIs (111) against left-handed pitchers this season.

Facing Atlanta won't be easy if it comes to it, but a strong performance vs. the Braves would leave Thornton's outlook with the Mets brighter than ever before.