For the third day in the row, the Mets’ bullpen looked a little different.
The Mets called up left-hander Genesis Cabrera and right-hander Ty Adcock from Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday and sent down left-hander Brandon Waddell and right-hander Chris Devenski.
Waddell and Devenski had been called up before Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and both pitched multiple innings in that game.
The flurry of roster moves became necessary for the Mets after they lost a pair of relievers to the injured list — in the heart of a grueling stretch of 13 games in as many days.
“You know at some point you were going to be facing these challenges,” Mendoza said before Thursday’s series finale against the D-backs at Citi Field. “Every team goes through it, especially when you’re playing so many games.”
The Mets moved A.J. Minter, their top left-handed reliever, to the 60-day IL on Thursday, two days after Mendoza said Minter could need season-ending surgery for a lat injury.
On Wednesday, the Mets placed fellow left-hander Danny Young on the 15-day IL with an elbow sprain, with Mendoza saying Tommy John surgery was “on the table.”
Mendoza did not have medical updates on Minter or Young before Thursday’s game.
Cabrera, whom the Mets signed to a minor-league contract in November, is now the lone left-hander in their bullpen.
A six-year MLB veteran, Cabrera boasts a 3.89 ERA over 272 appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays. He allowed seven runs in eight innings at Triple-A but recorded 12 strikeouts and held hitters to a .143 average.
“He’s in the zone a lot more, especially of late, but it’s 97 [mph] from the left side,” Mendoza said. “He’s got a cutter, slider, so when he’s around the zone, he’s electric. We’ve seen it. I’ve seen it in the past. And that’s the report that we were getting.”
Adcock surrendered seven runs in 4.1 innings over three appearances with the Mets last season but has pitched to a 1.29 ERA at Triple-A this year.
The Mets also considered calling up Dedniel Núñez on Thursday but opted to give the right-hander more time at Triple-A.
A pronator strain in his right forearm cost Núñez much of the second half last year and delayed his start to spring training, prompting him to begin this season in the minors. He has a 4.00 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP in nine appearances.
“He will continue to be in the conversation, but we’re gonna make sure that when he does come up, we want to keep him here for a long time, for as long as possible,” Mendoza said of Núñez, who delivered a 2.31 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 35 innings as a rookie last year.
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“There could potentially be a couple other moves in the next couple of days, but he’s definitely in the conversation and I’m pretty sure we’ll be seeing him shortly here.”
Earlier this week, the Mets called up right-hander José Ureña, only to designate him for assignment two days later. They called up righty Kevin Herget on Tuesday, then optioned him back to Triple-A the following day.
The revolving door of relievers comes in stark contrast to the beginning of the season, when the Mets’ bullpen largely remained intact.
“It’s part of what we do,” Mendoza said. “I think it was different in the first two weeks when we didn’t make a move. That was kind of odd. It was like, man, I don’t know that I’ve seen this before.”
The Mets’ unrelenting schedule, meanwhile, has impacted the way Mendoza manages games.
On Wednesday, he opted to leave Devenski in for the ninth inning with the Mets trailing, 2-1. Arizona tacked on two runs against Devenski, and the Mets ultimately lost, 4-3.
Edwin Diaz had warmed up in the bullpen, but Mendoza said he would have turned to his closer only if the score was tied or if the Mets took a lead.
“If this is July, August, it’s an easier decision,” Mendoza said. “But when you’ve got seven more [consecutive games] to go … shooting one of your high-leverage relievers in that situation, down one, it’s not an easy decision.”
Waddell pitched 4.1 scoreless innings on Wednesday, and while the Mets plan to keep him stretched out as a starter, Mendoza did not rule out making the left-hander a regular part of his bullpen at some point.
MONTAS MOVE
The Mets also moved starter Frankie Montas to the 60-day IL, opening a 40-man roster spot amid Thursday’s frenzy of transactions.
That move does not impact Montas’ timeline to return from the lat strain that forced him to begin the season on the 15-day IL.
Montas aims to join the Mets’ rotation next month.
ON THE MEND
Mendoza says the Mets are on the mend.
Not from an injury standpoint, but rather from an illness circulating the Mets’ clubhouse.
“We’ve got a couple of guys,” Mendoza said Thursday. “Some of them are in the lineup. Some of them are active, good to go, so we’re better today than we were a couple of days ago.”
Brandon Nimmo returned to the Mets’ lineup on Thursday, two days after a flu-like sickness kept him out of Tuesday’s game. Nimmo did not start Wednesday’s loss but entered in the eighth inning as a pinch-hitter.
Mendoza has said Nimmo’s illness was different from the one Jesse Winker dealt with last month.