The New York Mets pitching staff has been in flux for weeks now. The team missed Sean Manaea for a good chunk of time and were also without Frankie Montas for almost the entire first half, as both pitchers began the 2025 season on the IL. And Montas has struggled immensely since making his debut 2025, going 3-2 with a 6.38 ERA in eight starts with his new team. With Kodai Senga and Clay Holmes struggling to work deep into games, Carlos Mendoza has no idea what, if anything, he's going to get out of his starters on any given night — a big part of the reason why his team has lost seven in a row and 11 of 12.
The Mets got some ostensibly good news on that front on Tuesday, as righty Tylor Megill has been on is set to make his first rehab start on his road back from an elbow injury that's held him out since June 14. Megill was 5-5 with 3.95 ERA in 14 starts before landing on the IL, and New York needs as many healthy arms as it can get right now.
However, while Megill is a nice stopgap, his return shouldn't distact them from what they really need to do with their rotation.
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Tylor Megill's return shouldn't block Noah McLean and Brandon Sproat
At this point, top pitching prospects Noah McLean and Brandon Sproat are about to be Major League-ready. While the Mets are in the race, it can't hurt to go young a little bit.
Both of these arms are now at Triple-A, and both could help the Mets form an elite rotation going forward. Megill hasn't been able to stay healthy this year, and while he's an upgrade over Montas, it's hard to argue that he would be better than the duo Sproat and McLean. He simply doesn't offer a ton of upside at this point in his career. Now is the time for the Mets to see what they have in those young arms.
Right now, the Mets need to worry about not giving up their Wild Card spot, as they are now just two games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds and three ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals. Adding these young arms could not only give them a fresh look but rejuvenate the team a little bit as it tries to focus on retaining its spot in the playoff race.
Sproat is 7-5 with a 4.10 ERA in 22 starts at Triple-A Syracuse, while McLean is 8-5 with a 2.45 ERA in 18 starts and three relief appearances at Double-A and Triple-A. The time has come for New York to try and move the needle a little bit with some of their roster moves.
This could help them potentially stop their skid and start winning games again. They need to turn things around quickly if they want to catch the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.
We'll see what they decide to do next., but it might be wise to inject some fresh blood into the mix for the time being.