Once considered a promising pitching prospect, Rafael Montero has often found himself in his manager’s dog house over the last year, primarily for his inability to come to the big leagues and throw strikes consistently.
But he appeared to have found himself during spring training and was being considered for the fifth spot in the big league rotation until the last weekend of the season before eventually being optioned back to Las Vegas as a starter under Wally Backman.
He was almost instantly called upon by the Mets in late April to make a spot start against the Marlins in an effort to help limit the innings of the young starting pitchers in the club’s rotation.
But that was the last time he toed the rubber in a baseball game, as he was diagnosed with a mild rotator cuff strain in his right shoulder.
He has spent the entire summer rehabbing in Port St. Lucie, and while he has made a couple of rehab starts with the GCL Mets, his rehab has been on and off as he has claimed to have continued discomfort in his right shoulder.
Manager Terry Collins doesn’t seem entirely convinced with the sequence of events, as he was always under the impression this injury was minor and Montero should not be sidelined at this point in the season.
As such, Collins will travel to the team’s minor league complex in Port St. Lucie during Thursday’s off-day to see for himself what is going on with Montero, and deliver a message to the young right-handed pitcher.
“What this kid has got to know is, ‘We need you, so let’s go,’ ” Collins said on Tuesday afternoon in Miami.
Collins wouldn’t get into the details of what he intends to say, but acknowledged his goal might be to. Optic ate Montero to get his act together and come back to the Mets.
“You can call it that,” the manager explained. “I just want to see for myself.”
The Mets optioned Montero back to the minor leagues following his spot start in late April. But because the injury was sustained in a big league game, the option was rescinded and he was returned to the major league active roster and placed on the 15-day disabled list. He has since been transferred to the 60-day disabled list.
In the meantime, Montero has been accruing big league service time while on the disabled list, and earning a major league salary as well.
Just Mets 