Just Mets

On Tuesday, the Mets are expected to activate RHP Jenrry Mejia from the restricted list, as his 80 game PED suspension will have been served and his right elbow is completely healthy.

Mejia is currently on assignment with the Las Vegas 51s, and pitched on Friday night in Tacoma and allowed a run on two hits with three strikeouts. It was his second outing in as many days and the first time he has pitched on back-to-back days during his assignment in the minor leagues.

Assuming there are no setbacks or injuries, Mejia will have to take the spot of someone on the active roster, presumably someone in the bullpen. The 40-man roster currently stands at 39, so presumably he would take the last available spot there.

Mejia cannot be optioned to the minors when he completes his suspension – the Mets have used all of his player options. So Mejia must be activated, or designated for assignment if the Mets do not wish to have him join the club.

Here’s a look at some candidates he could replace:

HANSEL ROBLES – Robles first stint in the big leagues has been up and down, but his performance of late has been hard to ignore. He is unscored upon in each of his last four outings with four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Previously, Robles was really struggling with the command of his slider which made him a one-pitch pitcher for the first month he was here.

But it has certainly come around in his last four outings and came in real handy during the club’s abbreviated doubleheader last Sunday when he was forced to bail out both Torres’ from serious trouble to keep the game tied.

If he has found the feel for that pitch, it can be a real deadly weapon to go along with his upper-90s fastball. That along with Mejia and Familia can arguably form one of the most formidable 1-2-3 punches from the seventh inning on if this trend continues (assuming Mejia resembles his pre-steroid form, of course).

Robles has player options available, so if they do decide to option him, it comes with no risk.

ALEX TORRES – Terry Collins has identified Alex Torres as his primary weapon against left-handed hitting out of the bullpen.

There’s just one problem, he lacks consistent command and he simply cannot get left-handed hitters out on a regular basis. That’s not necessarily unexpected considering he is not a natural left-handed specialist. Lefties are hitting .283 with nine walks and 13 strikeouts against Torres this season.

The good news for Torres is he is almost automatic against right-handed hitters thanks to his change-up, the exception being when he has zero command is walking the farm. He has held the right side to just a .140/.283/.280 line, meaning if the Mets could get Jerry Blevins back at some point this month, Torres could be used to get right-handed hitters out primarily.

Alex Torres is also out of options, so he would need to clear waivers in order to be retained in the system if the Mets chose to designate him for assignment, something which seems unlikely.

LOGAN VERRETT – It’s been a weird season for Verrett. He was taken by the Orioles in the Rule 5 draft in December, designated for assignment by Baltimore in March, picked up by Texas in the final week or so of Spring Training, then facing the Mets in an exhibition game in Arlington the weekend before Opening Day, designated for assignment by the Rangers, returned to the Mets and was assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas.

He was then called up in the middle of June by the Mets and he’s been outstanding since arriving, filling the hole vacated by Erik Goeddel when he was lost to the disabled list on June 12. He’s allowed just one earned run and three hits in 9 1/3 innings over five relief appearances since joining the Mets 2 1/2 weeks ago.

So, if this decision is going to be based on merit, Verrett needs to stay.

However, if the decision is based on a numbers game, Verrett could be the guy who gets sent out. He has all of his player options available for the Mets to use, and now that he is no longer subject to the rules of the Rule 5 draft, the Mets can maneuver him back and forth to Las Vegas without risk of losing him.

CARLOS TORRES – This is an interesting case. He has been overworked and misused all year thanks to the Mets needing Carlos in short relief for much of the early part of the season. He has been overexposed in that role, and has underperformed as a result.

There’s also the possibility the overuse from 2014 has taken it’s toll on Carlos as well. His arm angle is often low, resulting in his pitches lacking downward movement. It’s affected his curveball in particular as when his elbow is below the plane of his shoulder, he struggles to get on top of the ball, and it’s resulting in a lot of hangers over the middle of the plate.

Nevertheless, he has struggled more than anyone in the bullpen this season, and lefties have hit .310 against him so far as well.

It would be hard to discredit Torres for what he’s done despite the underperformance, however. He has gone to work and done everything the club has asked him to do over the last couple of years, whether that’s serve as an emergency starter, be a long or short man in the bullpen, and even finish several games for the Mets during his tenure here. Given he’s been misused this year, the evaluation of his performance based on statistics alone could be considered unfair.

Then again, performance should be all that matters, and he’s the one case in the bullpen an argument could be made Carlos could – and maybe should – be sent out.

Carlos is out of player options.

A POSITION PLAYER? – The Mets could conceivably go with the eight-man bullpen and short on the bench again, but that seems less likely for the time being.

First off, Michael Cuddyer’s status is clearly a day-to-day thing and he could end up on the disabled list anyway.

Second, the Mets need all of the offense they can find. That doesn’t mean guys like Eric Campbell or Johnny Monell are long for the active roster, but it would seem more likely they would be replaced with other position players rather than a relief pitcher right now.