ATLANTA — The Mets are evaluating options to start in David Peterson’s place Monday.
Peterson will undergo further testing in New York on Friday, after leaving Wednesday’s start against the Braves with right side discomfort. The left-hander has received a preliminary examination, according to manager Luis Rojas, and will be evaluated to determine the “gravity” of the situation. Rojas added it’s not expected Peterson will take his next turn in the rotation.
Peterson departed his start Wednesday in the fourth inning. According to Rojas there was no evidence of an injury until he threw his final pitch of the night.
Though Peterson has struggled, pitching to a 5.40 ERA in 15 starts, the Mets are strapped for starting pitching, with Carlos Carrasco, Noah Syndergaard, Joey Lucchesi and Jordan Yamamoto sitting on the injured list.
Rojas, whose team lost 4-3 to the Braves on Thursday night, mentioned Corey Oswalt and Thomas Szapucki as possibilities to fill Peterson’s spot, but said team officials haven’t discussed names.
Carrasco has progressed to throwing full side sessions in his rehab from a torn right hamstring. Rojas expects the right-hander to continue ramping up those side sessions before beginning a minor league rehab assignment at a point to be determined. The expectation, according to an industry source, is a late-July or early-August return for Carrasco, who still hasn’t thrown a pitch for the Mets this season after tearing the hamstring in spring training.
“He feels good, he looks good and his stuff is great,” Rojas said.
Rojas praised Albert Almora Jr. for his relief stint in the Mets’ 20-2 loss to the Braves on Wednesday. Almora volunteered to pitch and was summoned from the outfield to get the final two outs in the eighth.
“Almora coming in to me in the seventh inning, asking for an inning to pitch, good teams do that,” Rojas said. “Where guys are willing to go in there and sacrifice something to protect the bullpen. That is just one quick example of something that happened in that game that shows you how good of a team we are.”