Even though Dillon Gee is out of the equation for now, the need for a spot starter will still arise in the next couple of weeks.
As such, Steven Matz is a candidate to be promoted when the Mets need to slot a starter into the rotation, and Terry Collins acknowledged before Monday’s game against the Blue Jays the young left-hander could be promoted to fill that need.
“We’re going to need a sixth guy here pretty soon,” Terry Collins explained. “We know he’s been pitching really well down there and he’ll have to be considered.”
The Mets play nine straight games between June 30 and July 8, so it’s conceivably Matz could be recalled for a start during that period of time. There really won’t be any other realistic option on the 40-man roster for the Mets to consider, although Sandy Alderson didn’t guarantee Matz would get the call when the time comes.
However, Alderson did say Matz would not be considered for a role in the bullpen – he will be a starting pitcher when he is promoted.
A possible scenario the Mets could consider is taking Jon Niese out of the bullpen, promoting Matz and another reliever, and using Niese to spot start one starter each time through the rotation. That would mean Niese – who does not have an innings limit – could pitch regularly and every other starting pitcher would be skipped once every five or six weeks to afford them the rest they need and limit their innings.
It’s not clear they would do that, but it would give Matz a spot in the rotation, and keep everyone pitching with regularity for the most part.
Matz, 24, is 6-4 with a 2.30 ERA and in 78 1/3 innings over 12 starts for Triple-A Las Vegas in 2015.
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