Mets rookie Christian Scott was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday due to a sprained ligament in his right elbow, putting New York’s top pitching prospect on the sidelines indefinitely.
Scott, who has a 0-3 record with a 4.56 ERA in nine starts since his impressive debut on May 4 against Tampa Bay, reported discomfort in his elbow after pitching on Sunday in Miami. He underwent an MRI on Tuesday upon the team’s return home.
The Mets retroactively placed Scott on the IL from Monday due to a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow.
Left-hander Alex Young was called up from Triple-A Syracuse and made his Mets debut, pitching two crucial outs to strand a runner in scoring position and preserve a one-run lead in a 3-2 victory in the sixth inning.
Manager Carlos Mendoza stated that Scott will be evaluated by multiple doctors to determine the extent of his absence, with concerns that surgery might be necessary, especially given a similar issue Scott faced last year in the minors.
“Especially because this is something that he dealt with last year (in the minors) as well,” Mendoza said. “That’s why we were trying to protect him as much as possible. But it happened, you know? So again, I don’t want to speculate here. Hopefully we get some good news, but we’ve got to wait and see.”
Despite his winless record, Scott has shown promise in his 47 1/3 innings pitched with several strong performances in the majors. His absence is a significant setback for the Mets, who are currently leading in the race for the final National League wild card spot.
Kodai Senga is expected to return from the injured list and start on Friday night against Atlanta for his season debut. However, the Mets plan to maintain a six-man rotation upon Senga’s return due to the Japanese right-hander’s preference for pitching with at least five days of rest.
“Somebody will need to step up,” Mendoza remarked.
Tylor Megill, currently in the minors, and Jose Buttó are among those considered to fill Scott’s spot in the rotation. Buttó started for the Mets and Syracuse in the first three months of the season but has since become a valuable reliever for New York since his return to the majors in early July.
“We need to discuss how we will manage this upcoming stretch,” Mendoza said. “With Buttó, we need to determine how much workload he can handle. It’s been nearly a month since he threw 100 pitches, and recently he’s been pitching one or two innings, with a pitch count not exceeding 40.”
Senga, the team’s anticipated top starter, has been out since early spring training due to a right shoulder capsule strain.
The 2023 All-Star and NL Rookie of the Year runner-up pitched 79 pitches over three innings on Saturday for Syracuse in his fourth minor league rehab outing, giving up five runs on eight hits.
“I’ve been preparing for this over the last few months, so I feel completely ready and eager to return,” Senga said through a translator after his bullpen session.
Senga expressed how challenging it was mentally and physically to be sidelined for such an extended period. “Now that I’m ready to go, I want to channel all that frustration into the second half of the season and perform,” he added.
Scott threw 75 pitches over four innings during a 4-2 loss to the Marlins on Sunday. He surrendered seven hits and three runs, including a three-run homer by Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fourth inning.
In other updates, Mendoza announced that veteran outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. will join Triple-A after signing a deal with the Mets. Bradley previously played for the Long Island Ducks in the independent Atlantic League.
“He adds depth to our roster,” Mendoza noted. “I’ve seen him perform really well at this level.”
