The Mets’ 2025 bullpen grew worse Thursday, and it is possible their 2026 bullpen also took a hit.
Reed Garrett has an elbow sprain that forced him to the injured list, ending at least his regular season, likely his postseason and potentially longer than that depending upon the damage that imaging reveals.
The righty was sidelined at the end of August and early September with the same elbow issue, which he and the club hoped would be solved by a two-week pause. Garrett was activated Sept. 7 and lasted four mostly spotty outings — including a two-out, three-run blowup in Philadelphia on Sept. 11 — before returning to the injured list.
“It’s concerning,” manager Carlos Mendoza allowed of Garrett, who tried to warm up Wednesday and had to be shut down. “It’s concerning when, for the second time in less than a month, a guy’s going down with elbow issues. But we got to wait [for test results].”
Without Garrett — whose standing had dropped in the bullpen because of his struggles but who still has been one of the more dependable arms the Mets have had all season — the team made a flurry of moves that opened up spots for righties Huascar Brazobán, Wander Suero and Chris Devenski. A team that set the single-season record Wednesday in using 46 pitchers this season summoned three the following day.
Garrett, 32, has represented a significant find for the Mets, who claimed the journeyman midseason 2023 and watched him blossom the following year. Last season, Garrett struck out 83 in 57 ¹/₃ innings while posting a 3.77 ERA and was a major piece of the team that advanced to Game 6 of the NLCS.
This year, Garrett carried over that excellence — he owned a 0.68 ERA on June 3 — before he began stumbling, which might have coincided with the injuries that have surfaced.
“Praying for the best here,” Mendoza said of Garrett before beating the Padres, 6-1, at Citi Field.
The Mets, who will begin this weekend’s series against the Nationals with Brandon Sproat and Nolan McLean, are listing “TBA” as Sunday’s starter after placing Sean Manaea on the paternity list.
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Manaea and Clay Holmes have been expected to serve as a tandem Sunday, in some order, but it will depend upon when Manaea returns to the team and if he is able to continue his between-outing work.
“We got to wait,” Mendoza said. “If he’s able to play catch and somehow stay on his normal routine, and then [it would be time] for us to make a decision.”
In his second minor league start, Kodai Senga was not sharp while allowing four runs on six hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. With 81 pitches, Senga threw just 46 strikes and struck out four.
The hope had been for Senga, whose mechanics and results prompted the demotion, to show that he belonged back in the majors. Now the Mets will have to make a decision.
“The biggest thing is for him to go out there today and have a good performance,” Mendoza said before the start.
After debuting Wednesday, righty Dom Hamel was designated for assignment.