The New York Mets made a fresh pitching move on Sunday, selecting Jack Weisenburger to the major league roster after a 9-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. With injuries continuing to affect the staff, the decision gives New York another arm as it looks to steady a difficult stretch.
The move came after Xzavion Curry was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Curry had given the Mets length out of the bullpen on Saturday, throwing three scoreless innings, striking out four and allowing one hit, but he was unavailable for Sunday’s game after a 55-pitch outing.
Why the Mets made the change
This is a practical roster decision as much as anything else. The Mets have been managing injuries throughout their pitching staff, and Kodai Senga remained on the injured list because of a shoulder capsule injury. That left the club needing to keep rotating arms through the bullpen.
Curry’s recent work had helped in that role, but the Mets needed a fresh option after the Pirates game. By bringing up Jack Weisenburger, they added another pitcher to the active roster and created the possibility of his Major League debut.
What Weisenburger brings
Weisenburger arrives after producing solid numbers at Triple-A Syracuse this season. He recorded a 2.81 ERA, 10 strikeouts and a 1.31 WHIP across 16 major league innings? The verified Triple-A line provided for this move shows 7.22 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 46 strikeouts and 52.1 innings, which underlines that the Mets are reaching into the system for help rather than leaning on a proven big-league answer.
For a team sitting 51-67 and fifth in the National League East, that is where the pressure sits now. The Mets need innings, they need cover, and on Sunday they turned to Jack Weisenburger for exactly that reason.
