Mets' Christian Scott to make MLB debut Saturday, Adrian Houser sent to bullpen
Mets pitcher Christian Scott throws during a spring training workout on Feb. 19 in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Credit: Alejandra Villa Loarca
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Christian Scott is looking to make a good first impression Saturday night, as would anyone making his big-league debut. But the Mets’ righthander might already have a chance to stick around for more than just one start.
On the eve of Scott’s start against the Rays, the Mets moved struggling righthander Adrian Houser to the bullpen. That opens a rotation spot that the 24-year-old can potentially grab for a while with a good outing.
The Mets’ next off day is Thursday. Will Scott make his Citi Field debut the following night against Atlanta? It seems like a real possibility.
“After the off day, we’ve got to make a decision, because we’ve got another 13 in a row,” manager Carlos Mendoza said on Friday before the Mets faced the Rays in the opener of a three-game series. “That's when we have to make a decision whether we want to go to a six-man or we're going to stay with a five-man rotation. For now, that's where we are. We'll make that decision when we have to make that decision.”
A good outing by Scott on Saturday would make that decision easy. The Coconut Creek, Florida, product is doubly excited that his first start is going to be in his home state. Scott said he thinks he might have about 50 friends and family in attendance at Tropicana Field, where he has climbed the mound before.
“I’ve done like a showcase or two here,” Scott said. “Five or six pitches. Try to throw as hard as I can. That’s not the plan for tomorrow. Try to go a little bit longer.”
Scott, of course, isn’t looking past Saturday as it pertains to the Mets rotation.
“Compete Saturday and win a ballgame,” Scott said. “That’s all I got.”
At Triple-A Syracuse, Scott went 3-0 with a 3.20 ERA in five outings and had 36 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings. He also allowed seven home runs, so there is still some development left to go.
Saturday will be a big night for the entire Mets organization, and not just because the game will be nationally televised on Fox.
“It’s a big deal for the organization,” Mendoza said. “Not only for Christian Scott, but for the scouting group, player development. There's a lot of people that put a lot of hands in the development of these kids. For him to get an opportunity at the big-league level, it’s credit to a lot of people. What I told him was like, ‘Hey, you just go out there and be yourself. Don’t try to do too much. Keep doing what you're doing and just have fun.’ ”
Scott, a fifth-round pick out of Florida in the 2021 draft, credited the player development staff for helping him develop a sweeper to complement his explosive fastball and split changeup.
“Just redoing my whole repertoire really, if I’m being honest,” he said. “Just came out of college, gyro [slider] guy with a sinker. Now I’m a four-seam [fastball] guy with a sweeper and a split-change. So a lot of stuff has changed from when I got drafted. I'm just really grateful for the Mets for the opportunity. They gave me just unbelievable pitching development.”
As Scott gets his chance, Houser will be available in the bullpen beginning Monday, Mendoza said. Houser, who the Mets acquired in a trade with Milwaukee this past December, is 0-3 with a 8.16 ERA in six starts this season.
Mendoza said he’s going to use Houser in a number of different roles in the bullpen. The 31-year-old has made 32 career relief appearances, most of them coming in 2019.
“Right now, he's going through it,” Mendoza said. “But he's really working hard, to his credit. We're pretty confident that he'll get [back] to the pitcher we know he's capable of being.”
Raley has another MRI
Lefthanded reliever Brooks Raley had a second MRI that showed the inflammation in his throwing elbow is getting better, Mendoza said. But the injury is still going to take longer to heal than the Mets initially thought. Mendoza added, "We want to be really cautious here with him."
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.