New York Mets reinstate Walker Lockett, Brad Brach from IL

Pitchers Walker Lockett and Brad Brach have both officially returned from the injured list for the New York Mets.

The New York Mets brought back a pair of their pitching-staff weapons on Tuesday.

According to Anthony DiComo of mlb.com, the ballclub reinstated both Walker Lockett and Brad Brach from the injured list. To go along with this, New York optioned right-handed reliever Paul Sewald and catcher Ali Sanchez to the team’s alternate site in Brooklyn.

Lockett is a legitimate option to start Wednesday night’s matchup against the Washington Nationals. It was originally supposed to be a slot filled by Michael Wacha, until the Mets placed him on the 10-day injured list this past weekend. The right-hander is currently dealing with right shoulder inflammation.

Going back and forth between the majors and minors last year, Lockett notched nine appearances (four starts) with the big league ballclub. Throughout that span (22.2 innings), he garnered an 8.34 ERA with a 1-1 record and 1.721 WHIP.

Mild back tightness is what put Lockett on the injured list to commence the 2020 season.

Brach, on the other hand, tested positive for COVID-19 after his Summer Camp arrival and experienced a six-week recovery period. The 34-year-old veteran posted a 3.68 ERA through 16 appearances with the Mets last year.

“I’m glad Brad is back here with us,” manager Luis Rojas said, per DiComo. “He adds more experience to a season like this, [as a] guy that can come in right away and attack, get batters out. The stuff that Brach has, the experience that he has, there’s definitely a lot that he brings to it.”

The Mets (7-11) will take on the Nationals (6-7) on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. ET at Citi Field.