Mets put Scott on injured list with sprained elbow ligament; Senga set for season debut Friday
NEW YORK (AP) — Mets rookie Christian Scott was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a sprained ligament in his right elbow, sidelining New York's top pitching prospect indefinitely.
Scott is 0-3 with a 4.56 ERA in nine major league starts since making his debut May 4 with an impressive performance at Tampa Bay. He mentioned his elbow was aching following Sunday's outing in Miami, and he underwent an MRI on Tuesday when the Mets returned home.
Scott was put on the IL, retroactive to Monday, with a sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Left-hander Alex Young was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse and got two critical outs in his Mets debut, stranding an inherited runner in scoring position to preserve a one-run lead in the sixth inning of a 3-2 victory.
New York manager Carlos Mendoza said Scott will be examined by multiple doctors before it's determined how much time he might miss, and there's “always fear” the injury could require surgery.
“Especially because this is something that he dealt with last year (in the minors) as well,” Mendoza said. “That's why we were trying to protect him as much as possible. But it happened, you know? So again, I don't want to speculate here. Hopefully we get some good news, but we've got to wait and see.”
Despite his winless record, Scott has shown plenty of promise over 47 1/3 innings and several stingy outings in the majors. His loss is a significant blow to a Mets team that began the day leading a crowded race for the final National League wild card.
Kodai Senga is scheduled to come off the injured list and start Friday night against Atlanta in his season debut. But the Mets still plan a six-man rotation when Senga returns because the Japanese right-hander is accustomed to pitching on at least five days' rest.
“Somebody's going to have to step up,” Mendoza said.
Tylor Megill, currently in the minors, and Jose Buttó are among the candidates to fill Scott's rotation spot. Buttó spent the first three months of the season starting for the Mets and Syracuse, but he has become a valuable reliever for New York since returning to the majors in early July.
“These are some of the conversations we've got to have here, how we want to approach this next stretch that we've got,” Mendoza said. “In Buttó's case, how far can we push him? It's been almost, I think almost a month since he threw 100 pitches, and then it's been outings of an inning, two innings, no more than 40 pitches.”
The team's projected No. 1 starter, Senga has been sidelined since early in spring training because of a right shoulder capsule strain. The 2023 All-Star and NL Rookie of the Year runner-up threw 79 pitches over three innings Saturday for Syracuse in his fourth minor league rehab outing, allowing five runs and eight hits.
“I've been working towards this for the last few months, so I feel 100% ready and I'm excited to go back out there,” Senga said through a translator after throwing his bullpen.
Senga said it was “very, very, very difficult both mentally and physically” to be sidelined for so long.
“But now that I am ready to go. I want to put all that frustration towards the second half and perform," he said.
Scott threw 75 pitches in four innings Sunday during a 4-2 loss to the Marlins. He gave up seven hits and three runs — on a three-run homer by Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fourth.
In other news, Mendoza said veteran big league outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. will report to Triple-A after agreeing to a deal with the Mets. Bradley had been playing for the Long Island Ducks in the independent Atlantic League.
“Another depth piece,” Mendoza said. “I've seen this guy play really well at this level.”
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