To say things have gone poorly for the New York Mets lately would be an understatement. They've lost 14 of their last 16 games, falling to 64-58 on the season, only 0.5 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. What makes matters worse is that the Mets have held leads in each of their last seven games and have lost six of them, including a heartbreaker against the Seattle Mariners on Friday night. There's still time for the Mets, a team with clear talent, to turn their season around, but the longer this skid persists, the harder it is for Mets fans to believe in a turnaround.
In an effort to provide a spark, the Mets have recalled Nolan McLean, the organization's No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, to make his MLB debut on Saturday against the red-hot Mariners. McLean has had an awesome season in the upper minors and is deserving of this opportunity, but Mets fans didn't exactly expect to have to rely on the 24-year-old to play the role of savior.
Yet, the Mets need McLean to be exactly that.
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Mets need promising outing from Nolan McLean in worst way
There are many reasons as to why the Mets have collapsed, but their starting rotation is undoubtedly the biggest one. The Mets have struggled mightily to get any sort of length out of a starter not named David Peterson, and even Peterson failed to complete four innings his last time out and blew a 6-0 Met lead.
McLean has been consistently solid at Triple-A Syracuse, going six or more innings in seven of his 16 appearances (despite throwing 90+ pitches just six times) and allowing two earned runs or fewer in all but two of those outings. Getting a start of five or six innings in which he allows two runs or fewer sounds like a dream scenario for the Mets, but the jump from Triple-A to the majors is obviously steep.
There's reason to believe McLean can be successful, which is why he was promoted to begin with. His stuff, headlined by a ridiculous sweeper, is filthy. The pressure is just really hard to overlook.
The sweeper from Nolan McLean is nasty.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) August 13, 2025
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Mets are putting Nolan McLean in really tough spot
Mets fans are as frustrated as they've been in quite some time. The boo birds came out in full force on multiple occasions on Friday night, and the pressure is on McLean to ensure they don't come out on Saturday.
It isn't exactly fair to call any game in August a "must-win," especially against a team that plays in the other league on the other side of the country, but this is as close to a "must-win" in mid-August that any team can have. Yet, the Mets are thrusting a rookie into action to make his MLB debut in front of what will certainly be a sold-out Citi Field on Juan Soto bobblehead day.
The Mets are asking a ton from McLean. The Mets need a quality start in the worst way, and doing so against a Mariners team that's won 11 of their last 14 is easier said than done. Anything less than that, fair or not, might result in a fed up fan base booing.
All we can really do is wish McLean the best of luck. He's deserving of this opportunity, but is facing as much pressure as a rookie can conceivably face. The Mets need a win, and they need a good outing from a starting pitcher. Can McLean deliver on both fronts? We can only hope.