PHOENIX — David Peterson is out for now, but the left-hander will return to the Mets soon enough.
In need of an extra reliever Saturday, the Mets optioned Peterson to Triple-A Syracuse and recalled right-hander Adonis Medina.
The shuffle came after Peterson pitched a gem Friday night against the Diamondbacks, allowing one run on three hits and one walk over 5 ²/₃ innings. In three appearances this season, Peterson has pitched to a 0.64 ERA. Two of those appearances came as a rotation replacement for Taijuan Walker, who is expected to return from the injured list next week.
Peterson will return to start against the Braves in a May 3 doubleheader at Citi Field, according to manager Buck Showalter.
“He’s earned the right to be back and I think he understands why we had to do [the roster move],” Showalter said. “It’s never fun, especially when a guy is pitching as well as Pete is and the way things line up and the potential of Taijuan rejoining us, it helps our ball club.”
During this stretch of torrid starting pitching to begin the season, more than just the brand names have propelled the Mets.
Talk all you want about Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt and Carlos Carrasco, but Peterson has joined Tylor Megill as an early gift to Showalter. The Mets entered Saturday with a 2.07 ERA from their starting rotation, which ranked first in the major leagues. Megill, with a 2.20 ERA in three starts, is scheduled to pitch the series finale Sunday against the Diamondbacks.
Neither Megill nor Peterson began spring training as a projected member of the rotation, but injuries to Jacob deGrom and Walker thrust them into starting jobs.
“Competition can bring the best out of people and those two guys have taken that opportunity and run with it,” pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said. “There was no guaranteed job out of spring training. It’s more of a credit to them and their work ethic and what they did during the lockout and just continued to mature as major league players.”
DeGrom, sidelined by a stress reaction in his right scapula, has begun testing to determine if he can start throwing. In a best-case scenario, he would return to the rotation by late May, after building up his arm.
But even should deGrom return on cue and give the team a full complement of veteran starters, the Mets realize there will be a need for Megill and Peterson throughout a long summer.
The Mets went to No. 8 on the depth chart Saturday, when Trevor Williams started at Chase Field. The right-hander was needed because of the rainout Monday at Citi Field and the subsequent doubleheader Tuesday. Williams, who was acquired along with Javier Baez at the trade deadline last year, has worked mostly as a reliever with the Mets. Last year, he started 12 games with the Cubs.
Megill began this season with 10 ¹/₃ scoreless innings against the Nationals and Phillies before surrendering four runs early against the Giants on Tuesday in the first game of a doubleheader. But Megill persevered and got through six innings without further damage. Last season, the right-hander pitched to a 4.52 ERA for the Mets in 18 starts.
Peterson had a strong rookie season in 2020, but struggled last year before hitting the injured list in June with an oblique strain. Before he could return, a foot fracture was discovered that cost him the rest of the season. He finished with a 5.54 ERA in 15 starts for the Mets.
“He’s kind of fine-tuned some mechanical stuff and moving a little bit better,” Hefner said. “When you are on the IL and you are watching your teammates perform it makes you hungry and I think that’s true for Petey, because he wanted to be out there with us last year, because we felt like we were on to some things and then he got hurt a couple of times.”