Robert Gsellman impressed Mets officials Monday during a session throwing live batting practice, increasing the chances he will be activated this week.
The righty reliever has been on the injured list since Aug. 14 with a partially torn lat, but progressed enough to begin throwing bullpen sessions on the Mets’ last road trip. His session facing hitters at Citi Field was his first since incurring the injury.
“He looked really good,” manager Mickey Callaway said before the Mets lost to the Marlins 8-4. “We had him about 93 [mph] and breaking stuff looked sharp to me.”
Gsellman will play catch Tuesday, according to Callaway, before a decision is reached on his next step.
Dominic Smith began taking live batting practice Monday, after spending the previous few days in Port St. Lucie, where his workouts were stalled because the organization didn’t have any pitchers remaining at the minor league complex. Smith is recovering from a stress fracture in his left foot, but isn’t eligible for removal from the 60-day IL until Wednesday, at which time he will receive a scan that may determine if he’s healthy enough for a return. But Smith said he’s received no assurance he will be activated even if the foot is deemed healthy, as the Mets would have to remove a player from the 40-man roster and there might not be enough at-bats available to him, even off the bench, after missing nearly two months.
The Mets announced their Sterling Award winners, given annually to their top minor league players.
Mark Vientos, a 19-year-old third baseman, was named Minor League Hitter of the Year after slashing .255/.300/.411 with 12 homers and 62 RBIs for Single-A Columbia.
Kevin Smith was named Minor League Pitcher of the Year after leading all Mets minor leaguers with 130 strikeouts this season. Smith, a 22-year-old lefty, split the season between Single-A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton and pitched to a 3.15 ERA overall.
Seth Lugo entered play Monday with 100 strikeouts, which placed him tied for third in the NL in strikeouts by a reliever this season. The right-hander is the first Mets reliever since Armando Benitez in 2000 with at least 100 strikeouts in a season.
