As we woke up on this Monday morning before Opening Day, the Mets had three big roster questions that still needed an answer. They’ve answered two of them before you can finish your morning coffee.
Darin Ruf is finally getting designated for assignment. That means outfielder Tim Locastro will take the final spot on New York’s bench. While we don’t know how the Mets’ bullpen shakes out yet, we now know who will make up the Opening Day rotation. Jon Heyman of the New York Post is reporting that left-hander David Peterson has officially beaten out Tylor Megill. However, another injury has allowed him to unexpectedly start the year in the big-league rotation anyways.
They both performed well this spring, but Peterson was just that much better. In 12 innings, Peterson didn’t allow an earned run while posting a 0.75 WHIP. Meanwhile, Megill posted a 3.71 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in 17 frames. This also included 10 walks allowed over his final two appearances (8.2 innings).
Now, we know exactly who manager Buck Showalter will run out to the mound for the first five games of the 2023 season:
- Game 1 at Miami: Max Scherzer
- Game 2 at Miami: David Peterson
- Game 3 at Miami: Tylor Megill
- Game 4 at Miami: Kodai Senga
- Game 5 at Milwaukee: Carlos Carrasco
The Mets’ time in Wisconsin to play the Brewers is a three-game set. That means Scherzer and Peterson will also toe the slab at American Family Field before heading home for the home opener on April 6th at Citi Field. Verlander was supposed to get the honors, but now it’ll be Megill.
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You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
