Trevor May on track to return to Mets in 7-10 days
Mets relief pitcher Trevor May delivers against Atlanta during the eighth inning of an MLB game at Citi Field on May 2. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
When the 2022 Mets were assembled, there was a blueprint that included a slamming backdoor with setup men Trevor May and Adam Ottavino swinging shut to closer Edwin Diaz.
May, however, didn’t pitch well from the outset; it was discovered that he was injured in early May — he had a stress reaction in his right humerus bone — and he was placed on the injured list. The club has performed well with replacement parts, but the original may be on its way back to them.
The righthander, who whiffed 83 in 62 2⁄3 innings last season, will pitch an inning for Double-A Binghamton on Saturday and then return to New York to be evaluated and given a next assignment. Manager Buck Showalter suggested he will need four or five appearances (likely a pair on consecutive days), meaning he could be back with the Mets in seven to 10 days.
“That’s good news,” Showalter said of the minor-league rehab assignment. “He’s moving well. He’s moving good. We’ll be glad to get him back . . . We’ve really missed him.”
It’s unclear if May was hurt from the start of the season, but he allowed runs in five of his eight appearances before going on the IL on May 3.
“It’s been a long road for him, but he’s been very diligent about the work and getting ready,” Showalter said. “[People] got to see Trevor some last year; I didn’t really get to see that Trevor May. I’m looking forward to getting him back and putting him in the mix.”
Catcher Perez in the fold
The Mets completed a second deal with Pittsburgh in as many days, acquiring catcher Michael Perez on Saturday for cash. It gives the team the added catching depth it seemed to need after Tomas Nido was removed from Friday night’s game after taking a pitch off his hand when he and Max Scherzer got crossed up. Starter James McCann remains on the IL with a left oblique strain.
Nido was cleared to play and was in the starting lineup against San Diego on Saturday night. Perez was assigned a locker at Citi Field before the game but had not been assigned by the Mets to a roster yet.
The Pirates designated Perez, 29, for assignment Friday. He is a career .175/.244/ .305 hitter in parts of five seasons with Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Mets designated Travis Blankenhorn for assignment. Blankenhorn had been called up Friday.
McCann could be back with the Mets within a week. He ran the bases before Saturday night’s game and said he has been hitting for several days. Showalter said he “is close to going out” on a minor-league rehab assignment.
Bullpen session for Jake
Jacob deGrom will be at Citi Field on Sunday and is scheduled to throw a bullpen session, Showalter said. DeGrom, out all season with a stress reaction in his right shoulder blade, is expected to need at least one more minor-league rehab start before he can start for the big-league club.
Showalter was asked if the clubhouse sentiment is that they can thrive without him, as they have en route to a 58-36 mark entering Saturday night’s game. Or are the Mets waiting for deGrom in the belief that they will really take off?
“You can’t really operate like that,” Showalter replied. “Sometimes that never shows up, regardless of who it is. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen. So then what do you do?”
“I like our guys, the ones we have,” he added. “Through it we’ve been able to find some orchids . . . [David] Peterson and [Tylor] Megill before he went down . . . I’ve never had our guys once ask me about it. [Still] I know it’s in their mind and they care about Jake.”
Early birds
In anticipation of large crowds at Citi Field for Tuesday and Wednesday games against the Yankees, the Mets are encouraging people to use public transportation and arrive early if driving. Parking lots will open at 4:10 p.m. and gates will open at 5:10. For the first hour, hot dogs will be $5.
With Tim Healey
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
