The Mets appeared to show their hand on the Pedro Martinez roster move tonight by having Claudio Vargas (pictured) take over for the beleaguered Oliver Perez in the first inning down 6-0 to the Giants.

The use of Vargas in relief means that Mike Pelfrey is likely to remain in the rotation as the fifth starter, despite a 2-6 record and losses in each of his past six decisions.

If the Mets decide to keep Vargas in the bullpen and on the roster, that could mean a trip to Triple-A for the recently recalled Carlos Muniz or perhaps Aaron Heilman.

Stay tuned …