These will be subbed after the game
While Dedniel Nuñez continues to get work down in Triple-A, the Mets bullpen has been just fine without him to start the season.
The five earned runs given up by the Mets’ relief corps through the first eight games of the season are the fewest allowed in the league (2-0, 1.47 ERA). Left-handers A.J. Minter and Danny Young have each allowed two, and right-handed long man Jose Butto has allowed one. Right-hander Huascar Brazobán has thrown 7 1/3 scoreless innings and Max Kranick, another righty, has pitched 5 2/3 without allowing a run to start his first big league campaign since 2022.
Bullpens can be relatively unstable at the start of the season. This time last year, the Mets had already made a flurry of pitching transactions to plug the bullpen leaks and would continue to do so through April. But the way the relievers are throwing right now, the Mets might not want to make any changes for a while.
The team can allow Nuñez to build up without any pressure to expedite the process. The only thing they need to see from the right-hander right now is a healthy elbow.
“We’re not looking at results right now,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday morning at Citi Field. “I think it’s more of building him up. I think it’s twice now that he’s going multiple innings and that’s what we want to see.”
While Nuñez felt healthy coming out of spring training, he wasn’t able to pitch multiple innings or throw on back-to-back days during the Grapefruit League season. The Mets didn’t mind making exceptions for Minter, a veteran coming off August hip surgery, but someone who has pitched in the big leagues and gone through the entire grind of a regular season probably knows his body well. It’s natural for the Mets to trust someone like Minter.
The 28-year-old Nuñez has only pitched 35 big league innings and the Mets would like to make sure he’s able to pitch more. The flexor strain that ended his rookie campaign early was concerning enough for the Mets to bring him along slowly this spring.
Nuñez is set to throw Sunday, his third appearance this season, and the plan is to have him throw more than one inning again. The days after he throws are the most important days right now.
“I think it’s just the recovery,” Mendoza said. “Are you going to be able to take the baseball two days after you throw two innings? Are you going to be able to bounce back after you throw one inning, and not necessarily being ready to go back-to-back, but what about two out of three? That’s why we’re preparing.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Luis Torrens was out of the lineup again Sunday with a forearm contusion. It’s not considered serious, but the Mets are anticipating the backstop will be out for another day or two.
