3 Mets players who won’t be on the roster by September 1
By Tim Boyle
2) Mets roster never did find its Joely Rodriguez upgrade
The longest-lasting lefty in the team’s bullpen this season has been Joely Rodriguez. His rather underwhelming season has continued but with the occasional bright spot on the mound. There are some days where he looks like a great pickup for Billy Eppler. On others, fans are reminded that he’s here and Andrew Chafin isn’t.
Rodriguez came over to the Mets from the New York Yankees shortly before Opening Day. A questionable decision from the start, he hasn’t been the answer many fans were hoping for. Control is an issue for Rodriguez whose role as the main and often lone lefty out of the bullpen shines a huge spotlight on him.
Rodriguez is out of minor league options so to move on from him the Mets would have to designate him for assignment. Considering he has made it this far into the year, it might be a reach to expect them to finally admit they didn’t do enough. Add in the fact that they only added Mychal Givens, a righty, at the trade deadline and maybe we’re a little too hopeful to believe there is a better option out there.
If he can be at least reliable in blowouts, Buck Showalter will probably stick with Rodriguez and possibly start to use him exclusively to finish off innings with a tough lefty at the plate.