The New York Mets have built up considerable pitching depth this season after a rash of rotation injuries helped damage their 2021 campaign. That depth is being put to the test with both Jacob deGrom and Tylor Megill on the injured list, which should force the Mets to recall David Peterson to fill a vacant rotation spot later this week. One other player who could end up playing a role on the big league pitching staff is Thomas Szapucki, who is the focus of this week’s edition of Minor League Mondays.
Szapucki, the Mets’ fifth round pick in 2015 out of Dwyer High School in Palm Beach, Florida, has had a checkered path to the majors after Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2018 season. The Mets finally saw Szapucki reach the major leagues last season where he struggled in his big league debut, giving up six runs in two thirds of an inning of relief, and was later sidelined with a season ending nerve injury. The procedure was successful and Szapucki was assigned to AAA Syracuse to start the season, where he has done well in their starting rotation.
Over six starts with Syracuse, Szapucki is 0-3 with a 3.00 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, striking out 29 batters in 21 innings pitched. The good news for the Mets is that Szapucki’s velocity is back up to an average of 92 miles per hour on his fastball, which has touched 96 miles per hour this season. Szapucki’s velocity was sitting in the high-80s for most of last season, so this improvement in velocity is a sign that he is getting healthier.
The Mets could really use something out of Szapucki this season since their upper-level pitching depth is quite thin after trading away Adam Oller and J.T. Ginn in the Chris Bassitt trade. Szapucki could be a rotation factor if the Mets suffer more injuries but the likelier path to the majors for him is in the bullpen, where he could be an asset as a lefty specialist. Chasen Shreve and Joely Rodriguez are the Mets’ only lefties in the bullpen right now, so there is room for Szapucki to earn a spot in the bullpen if one of them gets hurt or struggles in the coming weeks.
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