Skip to main content
Fansided

These Mets could be pushed off the roster by New York's next wave of prospects

The Mets have more prospects knocking on the door, and that could lead to even more roster changes.
ByZachary Rotman|
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on Reddit
Google Discover
New York Mets pitcher David Peterson
New York Mets pitcher David Peterson | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Key Points

Bullet point summary by AI

  • The New York Mets have seen improved play from several rookies since May, helping them to a winning record over the past month.
  • Three current MLB contributors now face potential replacements from the team's minor league system as prospects near readiness.
  • The looming decisions could reshape the Mets' bullpen, outfield, and rotation before the trade deadline approaches.

Believe it or not, the New York Mets have gone 20-17 since the start of May. They've been able to play mostly winning baseball for over a month now (even if their season as a whole continues to be a disaster), and a big reason for that has to do with the play of their rookies. Nolan McLean is one of the Mets' best starters, Carson Benge has hit over .300 with a .830 OPS since the start of May, and A.J. Ewing has provided a spark both offensively and defensively.

What if I told you the Mets had even more prospects knocking on the door? I'm not talking about the likes of Jonah Tong and Zach Thornton, who have already debuted - they have a few prospects who could be MLB-ready sooner rather than later. Their emergence could push several players off the Mets' active roster.

RHP Daniel Duarte

New York Mets pitcher Daniel Duarte
New York Mets pitcher Daniel Duarte | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Prospect replacement: Ryan Lambert

Daniel Duarte is on the MLB team essentially to provide depth. Teams often use the last reliever spot to roster a fresh arm, so there's reason to believe that after he pitches, Duarte will go down to Triple-A. An unlikely, yet entirely conceivable replacement is Ryan Lambert.

I say it's unlikely because Lambert has issued 14 walks in just 16 innings of work in Triple-A this season, but his stuff makes him hard to overlook. The right-hander sits in the upper 90s with his fastball and pairs that with a wicked slider. He has struck out 25 batters this season. There's every reason to believe his stuff will play at the big-league level. We saw it play in spring training, where he was dominant at times.

He's going to have to improve his command before earning a call-up, but if he can do that, an already stout back-end of the Mets bullpen would be that much better.

OF/DH MJ Melendez

New York Mets left fielder MJ Melendez
New York Mets left fielder MJ Melendez | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Prospect replacement: Ryan Clifford

MJ Melendez was one of the few bright spots for the Mets early this season, posting an OPS over 1.000 in his first 11 games. Since those 11 games, though, he's been nothing but a liability for the most part. The outfielder is slashing .136/.266/.273 with two home runs and five RBI since the start of May, with 25 strikeouts in 66 at-bats. He's looking a lot more like the player the Royals gave up on.

Jared Young's return has allowed the Mets to stop playing Melendez as consistently, but Melendez still finds his way into the lineup against most right-handers because the Mets lack a better option on their team. Ryan Clifford might be that better option.

Clifford, one of the Mets' top prospects, is only hitting .213 in Triple-A, but he has hit 14 home runs. He's struck out a ton, and that can be worrisome, but he's held his own against lefties, giving reason to believe he can be an everyday first baseman sooner than later. With Jorge Polanco recently suffering another setback, and the Mets needing a spark, particularly in the power department, replacing Melendez with Clifford could make sense.

LHP David Peterson

New York Mets pitcher David Peterson
New York Mets pitcher David Peterson | John Jones-Imagn Images

Prospect replacement: Jack Wenninger

David Peterson was an All-Star in 2025, and has been a disaster since. He was arguably the biggest reason why the Mets missed the playoffs last season, and he's lost his rotation spot this season. The southpaw has a 5.75 ERA overall, and while he's been better in a bulk reliever role, Peterson just allowed six runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings against the Cardinals his last time out.

The Mets' rotation has been pretty good for the most part, thanks to Nolan McLean, Freddy Peralta and Christian Scott, but the last two spots, especially with Clay Holmes injured, are up for grabs. Sean Manaea has pitched well enough of late to occupy one of those, but how can the Mets continue to rely on Peterson to take up the other, either as a starter or as a bulk reliever, with how he's looked this season?

Jack Wenninger, arguably the Mets' top non-debuted prospect, deserves a look in Peterson's place. Despite pitching in a great hitters' environment, the right-hander has a 2.93 ERA in 12 appearances and 55.1 innings of work. He's allowed two runs or fewer in all but three of his outings, and has completed five innings seven times.

Whether the Mets DFA or trade Peterson, who is in his final year of club control, doesn't really matter. What matters is giving the pitcher more likely to help now and in the future, Wenninger, a look. He can't pitch much worse.

More MLB news and analysis:

Add us as a preferred source on Google
Home/New York Mets