Jenrry Mejia has taken his first step towards rejoining the Mets in early July.
Mejia pitched a scoreless inning for the GCL Mets this afternoon at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. he allowed two hits but didn’t walk a batter while striking out three.
It was his first official minor league appearance since returning from the Mets academy in the Dominican Republic. He was placed on the disabled list on April 7 with a strained elbow but was suspended 80 games just four days later for a PED violation.
He is eligible to return on July 7, and assistant GM John Ricco recently told Joel Sherman of the New York Post Mejia will be activated when he is eligible.
Given all that’s gone on in the Mets bullpen, the Mets could certainly use Mejia. The question is, what is Mejia under normal circumstances? They’ll be finding out beginning in about two weeks.
The other issue facing the Mets is if they make the postseason, Mejia is ineligible to pitch as a result of his PED violation in 2015. Major League Baseball rules state any player suspended for using a performance enhancing drug cannot participate in the postseason. So, while the Mets could receive a benefit from Mejia’s return, they’d be forced to reshuffle the deck again in their bullpen should they qualify for the playoffs. That’s not necessarily an ideal circumstance at that time of year, but none the less something the front office and coaching staff will have to address, should they get there.
Of course, they need to get there for this to be a problem, and right now that appears to be their greatest challenge.
Just Mets 