The Mets are no closer to naming a Sunday starter than they were a day ago, but after the way right-hander Justin Hagenman handled his start in the first game of the Subway Series, the team is confident they can use him again.
How they will use him is still in question. A bulk reliever, Hagenman is stretched out to throw about 60-70 pitches. When working efficiently, it’s enough to get through 4-5 innings. With the Mets needing pitching, it could benefit them to keep Hagenman around a little longer, despite the fact that he’ll need days off after starting Friday afternoon.
“He’s down today, tomorrow, then an off day, and then we’ll see where we are Tuesday and whether he’s available out of the bullpen,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Saturday before the second game of the home series against the Yankees. “If we use him out of the bullpen one of those two days, we could throw a bullpen game in Game 3 [in Baltimore]. So he’s still a part of the pitching staff, we’ll see how we use him the next time he’s available.”
The Mets open a series against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday at Camden Yards, and continue the road trip against the Kansas City Royals before the break. Clay Holmes and David Peterson will start the first two games of the series against the Orioles. Left-hander Sean Manaea and right-hander Kodai Senga are expected to join them on the trip, but the soonest the Mets would be able to use either of them is in Kansas City.
It seems like every day a pitcher is getting hurt for either the Mets or the Yankees. The Mets didn’t have any new injuries to report Saturday, but they were able to make a transaction for a bullpen arm, selecting the contract of Zach Pop from Triple-A Syracuse. Right-hander Austin Warren, who threw 1 2/3 innings in Friday’s Subway Series game, was optioned to Triple-A. To make room on the 40-man roster for Pop, the Mets designated right-hander Tyler Zuber for assignment.
In his first-ever big league start, Hagenman gave up four earned runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. He didn’t allow a walk and struck out five. When he exited the game, the two teams were tied 3-3 with a runner on first. Warren came in behind him and gave up a two-run homer to Jasson Dominguez, allowing the inherited runner to score.
He gave up back-to-back home runs to Dominguez and Aaron Judge in the first inning before getting an out. It looked as though the game could get ugly early, but the 28-year-old Penn State product took the home runs as a sign he needed to settle his emotions. He did so effectively. When Juan Soto tied the game on a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning, Hagenman used it as a boost.
“It’s obviously not the start that you want, but keeping the team in the game and giving them a chance to win is all I’m looking for,” he said. “You don’t want to get behind too much, so the fact that they come right back is huge. It gives you the confidence to keep going. We keep it right here, stop it here and you’re still in the game. You still have a chance to win. So that was an awesome answer by us.”
In addition to Senga and Manaea, the Mets anticipate left-hander Brooks Raley returning later in the month as well. He threw another scoreless inning in a minor league rehab game with Double-A Binghamton on Friday, and has reported no pain or discomfort as he’s been pitching again following his rehab from 2024 Tommy John surgery.
Getting a left-handed leverage reliever back would be a boon for a bullpen that has practically been a rotating door over the last month. However, Raley still has work to do before he can get back on a big league mound, with the Mets needing to see him throw in back-to-back games and make two outings in a span of three days.
Right-handed starter Tylor Megill (elbow sprain) played catch Saturday at Citi Field for the first time since going on the injured list June 17.
