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Shintaro Fujinami To Play Winter Ball, Plans To Pursue MLB Opportunity

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Right-hander Shintaro Fujinami is planning to play in the Puerto Rican Winter League this offseason as he looks to demonstrate his health for interested clubs, he revealed in an interview with Japanese news outlet Sponichi. He hopes to continue playing in the United States for the 2025 season.

Fujinami’s one-year, $3.35MM deal with the Mets for the 2024 season was derailed by injuries. The hard-throwing 30-year-old (31 in April) was expected to have a place in New York’s bullpen but landed on the injured list in spring training due to shoulder troubles and never wound up pitching in the majors. He pitched four scoreless rehab innings between Rookie ball, Class-A and Double-A but was hit hard in 32 frames with the Mets’ Triple-A club. In those 32 frames, he yielded a 6.68 ERA and walked just over 22% of his opponents. Fujinami still sat at a hearty 97.3 mph with his heater and fanned 25.7% of his opponents, but that velocity was down from the prior season and his command was a disaster even relative to his own shaky standards.

Many Mets fans raised an eyebrow at the time of the Fujinami signing. A big league deal for a reliever coming off a combined 7.18 ERA in 79 innings between the A’s and Orioles in 2023 indeed looked curious absent more context. But that ghastly earned run average was skewed by a woeful run of four starts with the A’s to begin his big league career. Fujinami pitched just 15 innings in Oakland’s rotation but yielded 24 runs on 19 hits and 12 walks. He was dropped to the bullpen and, after a rough start in that role as well, found his groove.

Over his final 51 1/3 innings of the 2023 campaign, Fujinami posted a far more palatable 4.21 ERA. That’s still hardly an eye-catching mark, but that earned run average was accompanied by a 25.5% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate — vast improvements from his earlier work. He also averaged a blazing 99.2 mph on his heater during that stretch and coupled that with a sharp 12.7% swinging-strike rate. Fujinami was showing an ability to miss bats both off the plate and in the zone and, at times, looking flat-out dominant (as can be seen in GIF form, courtesy of the indispensable Rob Friedman). A modest one-year deal for a then 29-year-old righty who was once a top pick and prospect alongside Shohei Ohtani in NPB seemed perfectly sensible, particularly for a deep-pocketed club like the Mets.

This time around, a big league deal seems less likely (though not impossible, depending how he looks in Puerto Rico). He’ll be showcasing his health in hopes of generating interest among big league clubs. If he looks healthy and regains some the roughly two miles per hour he lost off his heater in the wake of that shoulder injury with the Mets, he could land an invite to spring training next year and compete for a job in a big league bullpen. MLB clubs are constantly drawn to power arms of this nature, so a non-guaranteed deal should be there if Fujinami is healthy and shows some semblance of improved command.

Brandon Nimmo Playing Through Plantar Fasciitis Injury

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Brandon Nimmo is 0-for-12 with four walks over his last 16 plate appearances, and was removed from both Game 1 (for a pinch-hitter) and Game 2 (for a defensive sub in left field) of the Mets’ NLCS clash with the Dodgers.  It seems the issue is health-related, as Nimmo told The Athletic’s Tim Britton that he believes he re-aggravated a case of plantar fasciitis in his left foot during the sixth inning of Game 3 of the NLDS against the Phillies.  The fact that Nimmo was dealing with plantar fasciitis is itself news, as Nimmo said he has been playing through the injury since May.

The discomfort is only an issue when running, Nimmo said, and “I think when I really need it, I’m probably not 100 percent, but I can get going pretty good.”  He has been able to hit and throw with relatively little problem, so while it is clear that Nimmo isn’t quite himself, he is intent on staying in the lineup and will wait until after the season to pursue any more long-lasting tretament.

Nimmo hit .224/.327/.399 with 23 home runs over 663 plate appearances in the regular season, translating to a 109 wRC+.  This was a step back from the 134 wRC+ Nimmo produced in 1966 PA during the 2020-23 seasons, though the downturn is understandable considering that Nimmo has been battling plantar fasciitis for much of the year.  Interestingly, Nimmo stole a career-high 15 bases and was a perfect 15-for-15 on the basepaths, despite playing through the pain in his foot.

If the discomfort ever became so severe that Nimmo couldn’t start in left field, the Mets could install Jeff McNeil (himself just returning after a wrist fracture) in left or move Tyrone Taylor into left field while Harrison Bader plays in center field.  But, the plan seems to be to just keep Nimmo in the starting lineup and then manage his time with tactical substitutions, as in the first two games against Los Angeles.

It obviously isn’t good for the Mets that one of their key hitters has been hampered at such a pivotal time in October, or that the three off-days between the NLDS and NLCS provided only scant relief.  (“It wasn’t as good as I was hoping when I got out there,” Nimmo said of how his foot responded to the three-day break.)  While some injury cases like Freddie Freeman’s bad ankle are obvious, Nimmo’s situation is an example of how there are likely several players trying to grit out non-publicized injuries through these key postseason games.

Jeff McNeil Added To NLCS Roster

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The Dodgers and Mets have announced their 26-man rosters for the NLCS this afternoon. Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas was a notable omission from the L.A. roster, while Mets infielder Jeff McNeil is notably joining the club’s roster after a wrist fracture sidelined him throughout the final month of the regular season and the early part of the playoffs. Rojas was replaced on the club’s roster by outfielder Kevin Kiermaier, while right-hander Adam Ottavino was dropped from the Mets’ roster to accommodate McNeil. Left-hander Alex Vesia was also left off the Dodgers’ latest roster, with right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. added to the roster as Vesia’s replacement. Rojas, Ottavino, and Vesia will be eligible for the club’s World Series roster because they were not removed from the roster mid-series.

While the Dodgers are losing a key member of their middle infield ahead of the series, the Mets are returning one of their own from the injured list in McNeil. The 32-year-old struggled through a second consecutive down season at the plate this year, posting just a .238/.308/.384 slash line (97 wRC+) in 128 games before going on the shelf due to a fractured wrist in early September. Five weeks after hitting the injured list, McNeil now returns to the roster to provide the Mets with a versatile lefty bat capable of slotting into second base, third base, and the outfield corners as needed. Journeyman Jose Iglesias has handled the keystone in McNeil’s absence but could take a seat on the bench for the NLCS after hitting just .207/.233/.207 in 30 trips to the plate across seven games this postseason. Rookie Luisangel Acuna is also on the postseason roster as a middle infield option but has primarily found usage as a defensive replacement to this point in the club’s playoff run.

The addition of McNeil’s lefty bat to the lineup could be particularly valuable for the Mets given the Dodgers’ loss of Vesia. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters yesterday that Vesia was unlikely to make the NLCS roster due to an intercostal injury, and that eventuality has now come to pass. While Roberts floated the possibility of right-hander Tony Gonsolin (who missed the entire 2024 regular season while rehabbing Tommy John surgery) replacing Vesia on the club’s NLCS roster, it seems that L.A. ultimately decided to turn to Honeywell rather than lean on Gonsolin to get postseason outs in his first big league appearance in over a year. The 29-year-old Honeywell has posted a solid 2.63 ERA in 37 2/3 innings of work for the Pirates and Dodgers this year despite a lackluster 4.28 FIP and figures to provide L.A. with a much-needed multi-inning option as the club weighs the possibility of multiple bullpen games during the course of the seven-game series.

Poll: Who Will Win The NLCS?

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The Dodgers punched their ticket to the NLCS last night. Solo home runs from Enrique Hernández and Teoscar Hernández were enough to push L.A. to a 2-0 victory over the Padres in the rubber match of their Division Series. The Dodgers blanked San Diego in consecutive games to take the series in five.

They’ll welcome the Mets to Dodger Stadium tomorrow. New York has waited for its destination since finishing off the Phillies in four games on Wednesday. Almost no one would’ve seen this coming when the Mets bottomed out at 11 games under .500. The nadir of their season coincidentally came at the hands of the Dodgers, who swept New York at Citi Field to drop them to 22-33 in late May. The Mets caught fire after that, playing above .500 ball in each of the final four months of the season.

L.A. and New York closed the regular season as the hottest teams in the National League. Their 20-10 record over their final 30 games tied them with the Tigers for best in MLB. The Dodgers secured home field advantage throughout the playoffs by finishing with an MLB-leading 98 wins. New York clawed back to 89 wins and clinched a Wild Card spot on the last day of the regular season. They’ve had a flair for the dramatic in October, coming from behind in four of their five playoff wins.

Both teams have already come back from the edge of elimination. The Mets needed Pete Alonso’s ninth-inning heroics against Devin Williams to escape the Wild Card series in Milwaukee. The Dodger pitching staff silenced San Diego’s bats in consecutive elimination games in the Division Series.

New York has the slight benefit of two extra days of rest. They’ve had three off days since their last game, while the Dodgers get one rest day before starting the series. Each team’s entire bullpen should be in play for Game 1. The Mets will have their rotation outside of Jose Quintana on regular or extended rest at the beginning of the series. The Dodgers turned to Yoshinobu Yamamoto for five scoreless innings last night. They used a bullpen game on Wednesday.

Neither team has revealed a probable starter for Game 1, but the Dodgers are almost certain to turn the ball to Jack Flaherty before going with Walker Buehler in Monday’s Game 2. The Mets could turn in a few different directions. They have Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Kodai Senga all ready to go. Andy Martino of SNY tweeted yesterday that Senga was likely to get the ball in Game 1, though the Mets won’t finalize that decision until today. The righty is on tight workloads after losing the second half of the season to a calf injury. He’ll probably be limited to two or three innings before turning the ball over to the bullpen. Senga threw two innings and 31 pitches in Game 1 of the NLDS, his first appearance since late July.

The teams have until tomorrow morning to finalize their rosters for the series. The Mets could have an important change. Jeff McNeil has been on the injured list for over a month with a right wrist fracture. Manager Carlos Mendoza said a couple days ago that McNeil had a good chance to be activated. The left-handed hitter started what’ll hopefully be a two-game stint in the Arizona Fall League last night to readjust to game speed.

McNeil made it through the first game with no issues, he told reporters last night (link via Jesse Borek and Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). While the Mets probably won’t make the decision until tomorrow, it seems McNeil will be active. That’d probably push Luisangel Acuña off the roster unless the Mets decide to drop to 12 pitchers despite the longer series.

On the Dodgers’ side, the main injury to monitor concerns reliever Alex Vesia. (There’s also the ongoing question about Freddie Freeman’s ankle but no doubt that Freeman will be on the roster.) Vesia entered with two outs in the seventh inning last night. The left-hander fanned Jackson Merrill to end the inning. He came back out for the eighth but reported soreness in his right side while warming up. The Dodgers lifted him for Michael Kopech, who combined with Blake Treinen to close out the game.

Manager Dave Roberts said postgame that Vesia would go for an MRI today (X link via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). The team is hopeful that the discomfort was just a cramp but wants to rule out an oblique injury. If Vesia did tweak his oblique, that’d probably shut him down for the season. Anthony Banda was the only other left-hander in Roberts’ bullpen for the Division Series. Justin Wrobleski and Zach Logue are the other healthy southpaws on the 40-man roster. Nick Ramirez remains in the organization but was outrighted last month and seems unlikely to be considered for a playoff spot.

How will the NLCS play out? Which team is headed to the World Series, and how competitive will this series be?

 

Latest On Jeff McNeil

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The Mets have been without infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil for over a month now, as he fractured his wrist in early September and has been out of action since. But he could be nearing a return to the club, per Tim Healey of Newsday on X. McNeil is going to play in the Arizona Fall League on Friday and Saturday with manager Carlos Mendoza hoping for McNeil to play a full nine-inning game on both of those days.

During the regular season, it’s routine for injured players to join a minor league club as part of a rehab assignment, spending a few days or weeks getting back into game shape before being activated from the IL. But the minor league seasons have all been completed by this time of year, so the AFL will have to do. The competition tends to be a mixed bag, as some top prospects will be involved but clubs also often send guys who missed a lot of time due to injury and need reps to play catch-up. A full overview of the rosters was recently provided by Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo in a piece for MLB.com.

In the meantime, the Mets will be trying to get through the Phillies and move on to the NLCS. They are currently up 2-1 in the series and could finish the series tonight. If the Phils emerge victorious in game four, the fifth game is scheduled for Friday. If the Mets eventually win the NLDS, they would square off against either the Padres or Dodgers in the NLCS starting on Sunday.

If McNeil is able to showcase his health by then, and the Mets are still alive, the club will have to make some decisions about their NLCS roster and playing time. Luisangel Acuña has only received two plate appearances in the playoffs so far, striking out both times, and could perhaps be the logical guy to be left off next round’s roster.

The more interesting question might be how McNeil is used once on the roster. He won the batting title in 2022 but has been roughly league average at the plate over the past two years. He’s hit .257/.323/.381 since the start of 2023 for a wRC+ of 99.

He got out to a rough start this year, hitting .217/.278/.306 through the end of June for a wRC+ of 69. He then caught fire for a couple of months, hitting .271/.353/.506 for a 140 wRC+ from July until he was hit by a pitch and suffered his fracture.

Getting that red-hot version of McNeil back on the field would be great but it’s also possible there will be some rust after his layoff. Jose Iglesias took over the second base job and had a great season, hitting .337/.381/.448 for a 137 wRC+. He’s gone cold in the playoffs, however, with a .231/.231/.231 line through 26 trips to the plate. McNeil could also perhaps take some time from Starling Marte in an outfield corner, as he is hitting just .222/.304/.222 in the postseason so far.

Both Iglesias and Marte hit right-handed while McNeil is a lefty, so a platoon could be a consideration for Mendoza. He’s already platooning the designated hitter slot, with Jesse Winker and J.D. Martinez both performing well. NLCS roster announcements will be made Sunday morning.

Poll: Who Will Win The NL Division Series?

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Monday is a travel day for the National League. Both series are knotted up 1-1 as they head to the homes of the lower seeds. Nick Castellanos’ walk-off hit capped off a back-and-forth affair in Philadelphia yesterday, squaring things with the Mets. The Padres had a much more convincing (but still drama-filled) beatdown of the Dodgers to tie that series.

The latter has a couple health situations to monitor. Freddie Freeman and Xander Bogaerts each departed yesterday’s game. Bogaerts’ absence was on accounting of hamstring cramping and came after the Padres had taken a six-run lead. That seemed precautionary at the time, and skipper Mike Shildt said today that the team’s belief is that it was simply a result of dehydration (X link via Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune). Freeman has had a bigger problem, playing through a sprained right ankle. L.A. manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic) this evening that Freeman was receiving treatment; his status for tomorrow’s game remains uncertain.

San Diego looks to have the distinctive edge from a pitching perspective for Game 3. They’ll turn to righty Michael King, owner of a 2.95 ERA in the regular season. Los Angeles counters with the scuffling Walker Buehler, who allowed more than five earned runs per nine this year after returning from his second career Tommy John surgery.

Neither team has named a starter for Game 4. Shildt kept open the possibility of turning back to Game 1 starter Dylan Cease on short rest on Wednesday (X link via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com). They’d presumably only do that if they lose tomorrow and are facing elimination in Game 4. Roberts has already shot down the possibility of bringing his Game 1 starter, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, back on short rest. That very likely leaves L.A. to turn to rookie Landon Knack in the fourth game.

There’s more clarity on the pitching plans in the NL’s other series. The pair of NL East rivals have already named starters for both games that’ll take place in Queens. It’s a matchup between Aaron Nola and Sean Manaea tomorrow. They’ve both had good seasons, though Manaea was a bit better than Nola was down the stretch.

It’ll be a pair of southpaws on Wednesday. Philadelphia turns to Ranger Suárez, while the Mets counter with José Quintana. Quintana followed up a brilliant September with six scoreless innings to help keep the Mets alive in the rubber match of their Wild Card series in Milwaukee. Suárez has yet to pitch this postseason. He’s generally as good as any fourth starter in MLB. Suárez looked as if he’d even be in the Cy Young conversation early in the year, but he was hit hard in September after losing a month to a back injury. He finished the season with a 3.46 ERA through 150 2/3 innings.

Philadelphia will have Zack Wheeler in reserve if the series goes to a decider. New York is expected to counter in a potential Game 5 with Kodai Senga, who managed two innings on 31 pitches in his return from the 60-day injured list last week.

Which two teams will punch their ticket to the NLCS later this week?

 

 

NL Postseason Notes: McNeil, Marte, Edman, Freeman

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The Mets could potentially get a big boost to their lineup if they advance to the NLCS. Manager Carlos Mendoza revealed to reporters (including Tim Britton of The Athletic) that Jeff McNeil will join the team’s taxi squad today, two days after welcoming his second child. The second baseman/corner outfielder has not played since September 6, when he fractured his right wrist as he pulled back a bunt attempt on a high-and-inside curveball from Reds’ left-hander Brandon Williamson. It’s possible McNeil will be ramped up and ready to play in time for the NLCS, should the Mets win two more games against the Phillies in the NLDS. However, Mendoza made it clear that it’s too soon to offer a definitive timeline for McNeil’s return.

McNeil, 32, got off to a dismal start over the first three months of the 2024 campaign. Then, he turned a corner in July, hitting eight home runs and 15 doubles with an .859 OPS and 140 wRC+ over his final 55 games. The veteran looked much more like the version of himself that won a Silver Slugger and a batting title in 2022. Even if he can’t get back to quite that level of performance, his lefty bat should be a valuable addition to a righty-heavy Mets lineup; he could take over from Jose Iglesias at second base or Starling Marte in right field with a right-handed starting pitcher on the mound.

Speaking of Marte, the 35-year-old outfielder took a Zack Wheeler fastball off his left forearm yesterday. As Britton pointed out, the pitch hit Marte in almost the exact same spot where Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman plunked him with a sinker three weeks earlier. Marte remained in the game yesterday, running the bases and taking a couple more at-bats, but he was removed in the bottom of the eighth amid a flurry of late-game defensive switches and substitutions. There’s no reason to believe he’s nursing anything more than a minor contusion, but it’s possible he could use a day to rest. After Hoffman beaned him in September, Marte took the next game off. He started the game after that on the bench before entering as a pinch hitter.

More notes from the NL postseason teams…

  • Tommy Edman started in center field for the Dodgers last night, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. His most interesting at-bat, however, was the double play he grounded into with runners on the corners in the bottom of the fifth. Facing the right-handed Jeremiah Estrada, the switch-hitting Edman chose to hit from the right side (h/t to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic). It was the first time all season Edman attempted to bat right-handed against a right-handed pitcher. To that point, he batted as a lefty against the other two right-handers he faced last night: Dylan Cease and Bryan Hoeing. It was an unconventional, but not entirely unreasonable, choice for Edman, who hit .181 with a .523 OPS and 51 wRC+ in 117 plate appearances as a lefty batter this season. Conversely, he went 14-for-34 (.412) with four home runs, a 1.299 OPS, and a 250 wRC+ in a tiny sample size of plate appearances as a righty. Indeed, Edman has hit better as a righty in every season of his career. However, when he tried batting right-handed against right-handed pitchers on occasion last season, the results were poor. He produced a .665 OPS and 77 wRC+ in 61 trips to the plate. Even worse, he went 0-for-4 batting righty against righties over two games in 2021. It will be worth watching to see if Edman continues this experiment against Estrada or any of the Padres’ other right-handers.
  • Nursing a sprained right ankle, Freddie Freeman’s status was questionable heading into the NLDS. Yet, the Dodgers first baseman played all nine innings of Game 1, going 2-for-5 at the dish. He also stole a base. Later on, Freeman revealed to reporters (including Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic) that he is also dealing with a bone bruise in his ankle. He says the bruise started to bother home around the fourth inning last night. Nevertheless, the famously durable superstar believes he can do it all again today – with the help of the Dodgers training staff. After the game, manager Dave Roberts joked that Freeman was “certainly medicated” (per Rosenthal), while Freeman expressed his gratitude to the training staff for getting him game-ready despite his significant injuries.

Kodai Senga To Start NLDS Game One For Mets

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TODAY: The Mets made Senga’s return official when announcing their NLDS roster this morning.  Senga was activated from the 60-day IL and Megill was also added to the 26-man roster that will face the Phillies.  Right-handers Huascar Brazoban and Max Kranick were removed from the Wild Card Series roster to make room for Senga and Megill, and Blackburn was moved to the 60-day IL in the corresponding 40-man move for Senga.

OCTOBER 4: The Mets are facing off against the Phillies in the National League Division Series, with the first game set for Saturday afternoon. Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters today that right-hander Kodai Senga will start that first game for the Mets. Mike Puma of The New York Post was among those to relay the news on X.

The Mets have received close to nothing from Senga this year. He suffered a capsule strain in his throwing shoulder in Spring Training, which kept him on the injured list for months. He was reinstated off the injured list and made his season debut on July 26, but was removed from that game after 5 1/3 innings due to a calf strain and went right back on the IL. He tried to return late in the regular season but was slowed by some triceps soreness.

That lack of production from Senga was a blow to the Mets. He made his major league debut in 2023 and tossed 166 1/3 innings with a 2.98 earned run average. His 11.1% walk rate was on the high side but he struck out 29.1% of batters faced and got grounders at a 44.7% clip. Despite that, the Mets managed to squeak into the postseason and then defeat the Brewers in the Wild Card series while Senga remained on the IL.

Yesterday, Will Sammon of Athletic reported that the Mets were considering Senga for their NLDS roster. Now it seems that the righty will not only get a roster spot but will take the ball to get the series started.

The question will be what the Mets can expect from Senga after so much time off. Per Sammon’s report, he recently threw a 25-pitch bullpen session but will probably be limited to a short outing, so perhaps this will be Senga acting more as an opener than a true starter in the classically understood sense. “We’ll see,” Mendoza said today when asked about how long Senga can go, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com on X. “We’re going to let it play out.”

The Mets have had to get creative with their pitching staff lately. Two of their games against Atlanta in the final week of the regular season were delayed by Hurricane Helene. While 28 of the 30 clubs in the league had the day off on Monday, those two clubs had to play a double-header as each still needed a victory to get into the playoffs. The Mets won the first game in an 8-7 thriller, using Tylor Megill as the starter and then four relievers, including closer Edwin Díaz throwing 40 pitchers as he got the final five outs.

With their playoff spot secured, they used Joey Lucchesi and two relievers to get through the second game of the twin bill, but then they had to start their series in Milwaukee the very next day. Luis Severino started the first game, Sean Manaea the second and Jose Quintana the third. To get through last night’s game, Díaz threw another 39 pitches while again getting five outs and starter David Peterson also tossed an inning of relief.

None of the club’s front three of Severino, Manaea or Quintana would be available on regular rest for Saturday’s first game against Philadelphia. Megill would be an option to take some bulk innings, but he was left off the Wild Card roster since he wasn’t going to be available for those contests. If both Senga and Megill are to be added, the Mets would have to open two spots by leaving off a couple of guys that were present of the Wild Card round. Peterson could perhaps be another option for bulk innings, as he tossed seven innings as recently as September 29.

The full roster decisions don’t have to be publicly announced until Saturday morning. Senga is on the 60-day IL and will need to be added back onto the 40-man roster, but the Mets could easily open a spot by transferring Paul Blackburn or Dedniel Núñez onto the 60-day IL. The Phillies have announced that Zack Wheeler will start game one, followed by Cristopher Sánchez in game two.

Mets Considering Kodai Senga For NLDS Roster

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The Mets are considering activating Kodai Senga for their National League Division Series roster, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post (X link). The Athletic’s Will Sammon writes that the decision hinges on whether the Mets want to devote a spot to another pitcher who would be limited to short outings.

New York was a couple outs away from not having a call to make. Pete Alonso’s dramatic three-run homer off Devin Williams in the ninth inning erased a 2-0 deficit. The Mets stunned the Brewers to advance to the NLDS for the first time since their 2015 pennant campaign. They’ll head to Philadelphia for a set with the NL East champion Phillies. The series begins on Saturday afternoon. Zack Wheeler will get the ball for the Phils against a yet unannounced Mets starter. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweeted tonight that Tylor Megill is the leading candidate to start Game 1.

Senga isn’t an option for the rotation but could contribute an inning out of the bullpen. The 31-year-old righty threw 25 pitches in a bullpen session earlier this week. Senga’s second MLB season has been almost completely wiped out by injury. Spring Training shoulder issues kept him out until July. He sustained a significant calf strain during his first start back and has been on the injured list since then. Senga made a push for a return late in the regular season that was halted by triceps soreness.

New York has leaned heavily on the bullpen, especially their closer, as they’ve battled to keep their season alive. They used four relievers — including a 40-pitch outing from Edwin Díaz — to clinch a playoff spot in the first game of Monday’s doubleheader against Atlanta. That afforded them the luxury of staying away from leverage arms in Game 2 of the twin bill, but they didn’t have any off days before heading to Milwaukee.

Manager Carlos Mendoza called upon José Buttó for two innings and Ryne Stanek for a frame on Tuesday. The Mets used Reed Garrett, Stanek, and Phil Maton for an inning each on Wednesday. (Maton blew the lead and took the loss.) Buttó surrendered back-to back homers and was quickly pulled tonight, so the Mets turned to Díaz for another 39 pitches to keep their deficit at two going into the ninth. David Peterson got the ball in the bottom half and locked down the save. Tomorrow’s off day will help, but the Phils will obviously have the fresher bullpen in the early portion of the series.

The Mets carried the maximum 13 pitchers for the Wild Card series. They’ll need to drop at least one to make room for Megill, who was left off the Wild Card roster because the Mets didn’t need five starters. Activating Senga would drop a second pitcher. Max Kranick, Adam Ottavino, Huascar Brazobán and Danny Young did not pitch in the Wild Card series. Kranick and Brazobán are probably the likeliest to be pushed off the roster. The Mets would also need to make a 40-man roster move to activate Senga from the 60-day IL. That’s a formality that could be achieved by moving Paul Blackburn or Dedniel Núñez to the 60-day IL.

Mets Outright Eddy Alvarez

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Infielder Eddy Alvarez went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment by the Mets earlier this week, per the league transaction log at MLB.com. He’s been assigned outright to Triple-A Syracuse but can reject that assignment to become a free agent — a path he’ll all but certainly take.

The Mets acquired Alvarez from the Red Sox in exchange for cash — a rare September swap that was allowed because Alvarez had been on a minor league contract at the time of the deal. New York selected him to the big league roster to help patch over its infield depth while dealing with multiple injuries. He went hitless in 11 trips to the plate and also pitched a scoreless inning of mop-up relief in a blowout loss. Alvarez was ineligible for the Mets’ postseason roster because he joined the organization after Aug. 31.

In parts of four big league campaigns, Alvarez is a .170/.257/.244 hitter in 154 plate appearances. He’s a career .277/.381/.467 hitter in eight Triple-A campaigns, however. He’s played primarily shortstop in his pro career but also has nearly 2000 innings at second base, more than 700 innings at third base, more than 300 innings in both outfield corners and 106 innings in center field over the course of 11 professional seasons.

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