It will be like one of those Sunday morning men’s leagues. Whoever feels the best will get the ball.
Jason Vargas, who had been scheduled to start for the Mets on Sunday, is headed to the 10-day disabled list with a calf strain, manager Mickey Callaway said following the team’s fifth-straight loss, 8-3, to the Dodgers on Saturday night at Citi Field.
Vargas will be replaced on the roster by right-hander Chris Flexen, though he won’t necessarily start the series finale. Callaway said he will make that decision Sunday.
“We’re going to figure that out in the morning when guys come in and see how everybody’s feeling,” he said.
Vargas suffered the injury earlier this week while conditioning. Signed to a two-year, $16 million contract in the offseason, the soft-tossing left-hander has struggled mightily for the Mets, pitching to an 8.60 ERA. He was tagged for nine hits and seven earned runs over 2 ¹/₃ innings in his last outing, at Colorado.
It doesn’t sound as if Dominic Smith is going to get more opportunities against left-handed pitchers anytime soon. Since being recalled on June 11, Smith had just five at-bats against southpaws, and two doubles. But Callaway said he prefers veteran Jose Bautista in left field over Smith against lefties.
“We’re really trying to balance winning a game that night with also continuing to develop our young players so they can be very impactful when the time comes,” Callaway said before Saturday’s loss. “So you might see [Smith] every now and again get in there and face a lefty. He’s done a good job the few lefties he’s faced, staying in there and driving the ball to left-center [field]. The one thing I have to think about is how good Jose Bautista’s at-bats are right now.”
Amed Rosario’s career-high, eight-game hitting streak came to an end after he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
First-round draft pick Jarred Kelenic, an outfielder from Wisconsin, made his professional debut Saturday with the Single-A Gulf Coast Mets, and went 3-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI as the designated hitter.
The Mets announced the signings of three more college draft picks: Fourth-round right-handed pitcher Adam Hill from South Carolina, fifth-round right-handed pitcher Ryley Gilliam from Clemson and 14th-round left-handed pitcher Andrew Mitchell from Auburn. The Mets have now signed 23 of their 40 selections and 14 of the top 17 picks.
