Carlos Mendoza hints at possible return date for promising Mets rookie

The New York Mets seemed to be fading into irrelevancy as the summer began to heat up. After falling to a 24-35 record in the early days of June, the attention began to shift toward deconstructing the team ahead of the trade deadline on July 30.

Then, all of a sudden, the Mets stormed back from the depths of the National League standings. First, they got their feet under them with a three-game series sweep against the Washington Nationals. Then, after stumbling a bit, they suddenly caught fire. New York rattled off seven consecutive wins against the Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, and Texas Rangers.

The winning streak ended against the Rangers, and the Mets have not done themselves any favors to distance themselves from the competition since then. After losing two of their last three games, the next couple of weeks could determine the outcome of the Mets' 2024 campaign.

Following a two-game series against the Yankees, the Mets will have a bit of a reprieve. Thursday will mark their third off day in eight days, giving the club some time to regroup. After that, they are scheduled to play 17 consecutive days in a grueling stretch before the All-Star break.

Carlos Mendoza suggests Christian Scott could return to Mets lineup

As the club prepares for the long road ahead, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza provided updates on the roster while speaking with reporters on Sunday.

The Mets are likely to return to a six-man rotation, and Christian Scott, the club's top pitching prospect, is likely to be the addition.

“There will be a conversation once we get through the off day on Thursday,” Mendoza said. “There’s a good chance he’ll meet the team here at some point.”

Scott was impressive in his first call-up to the Major League. The 25-year-old rookie posted a 3.90 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in his five starts before being sent back to Triple-A Syracuse at the start of June. With a relatively relaxed schedule, there wasn't any need for Scott in the rotation.

"Obviously, day to day, a lot can happen between now and whenever we have to make that decision, but [Scott's] in play," Mendoza said. "Like I said, we'll start having these conversations once we get through the off days here."

Scott pitched once a week in the minors, tossing an average of 63.6 pitches over three weeks. In those three starts, Scott recorded a 2.08 ERA with 16 strikeouts and just three walks in 13 innings. The Mets limited his workload in the minors. Scott has already registered 66 innings pitched, which is quietly approaching his career-high mark of 87⅔ innings pitched from 2023.

The Mets could still fall back into the darkness as easily as they came out of it. They now find themselves 1½ games back from the third NL wild card spot, which is currently held by the Padres, but New York is not alone in their pursuit for the playoff spot. A cluster of teams have positioned themselves within two games of the final wild card seed.