Steven Matz’s return to the Mets rotation could come as soon as the team’s first series following the All-Star break.
Though the Mets have the option of going with a short rotation for the first week of the second half, manager Mickey Callaway indicated Friday he may not want to wait that long before re-inserting Matz, who has been working from the bullpen in recent days.
“Part of me just being an ex-pitching guy understands that when you give somebody 2 ½ weeks off, it’s tough for them to come back,” Callaway said before the Mets’ 7-2 loss to the Phillies at Citi Field. “I haven’t thought about it too much at this point, but it’s hard to give somebody off that long so we’ll keep that in mind when we make that rotation coming back.”
Callaway added that Jacob deGrom’s potential usage in the All-Star game may dictate how the second-half rotation aligns. The Mets will play three games in Miami beginning next Friday. Then following a day off, the Mets will play two games in Minnesota and four in San Francisco.
In his first career relief appearance, Matz on Wednesday retired the only batter he faced against the Yankees. If Callaway decided to stick with a four-man rotation immediately after the break, Matz wouldn’t be needed to start until July 20.
J.D. Davis was back with the team after dealing with a stomach bug that left him unavailable Wednesday. Callaway said he expected Davis could be used for pinch-hitting duty.
Callaway cited Thursday’s day off as the reason Wilson Ramos (1-for-3) was behind the plate with deGrom pitching Friday. In recent weeks, Tomas Nido has emerged as deGrom’s personal catcher. Nido also will serve as Noah Syndergaard’s personal catcher. Syndergaard is scheduled to pitch Saturday.
Jerry Seinfeld arrived during batting practice as part of “Seinfeld Night” at Citi Field. The comedian received a signed bat from Pete Alonso (2-for-4, HR, two RBIs) and chatted with Michael Conforto (0-for-4), who said he watched “Seinfeld” regularly growing up. It was 30 years ago Friday the show premiered on NBC.
As part of their ongoing alumni weekends, the Mets welcomed back Jack Fisher and Felix Millan. The former pitcher Fisher started the Mets’ first game at Shea Stadium in 1964. Millan was part of the Mets’ 1973 pennant-winning club.
