The Mets have been quite busy upkeeping their roster over the last several weeks, particularly by promoting prospects to fill roles on the main roster. After promoting Jonah Tong before Friday's contest against the Marlins and Zach Thornton on Wednesday against the Nationals, the Mets are now expected to promote reliever Jonathan Pintaro , per Will Sammon of The Athletic .
The corresponding move to promote Pintaro has not yet been announced.
Pintaro, the Mets' No. 20 prospect, will get the call to serve as a member of the bullpen while A.J. Minter continues working his way back from rehab. The 28-year-old appeared in one game for the Mets last season, tossing 2/3 of an inning while allowing two runs, two hits, and two walks.
However, the right-hander has provided solid innings for Triple-A Syracuse, appearing in 15 games with a 2.81 ERA while striking out 32 batters in 25 2/3 innings. He's also allowing the fewest hits per nine innings (6.0) of his professional career.
Promotions are exciting, so here's what Mets fans can expect from Pintaro now that he's set to join the bullpen.
To put it simply, Pintaro likely won't be in the majors for long. His role with the team will probably be a short stint, providing the Mets with innings as they finish a 16-game stretch without an off day that has heavily taxed the bullpen.
With Minter likely to be back next week , the Mets will more than likely send Pintaro back down while using one of his minor league options. The promotion also doesn't come as much of a surprise, especially after veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel was designated for assignment to make room for Tong. The 38-year-old made 14 appearances and pitched 15 innings with the Mets, posting a 6.00 ERA before the front office and coaching staff had seen enough.
For Pintaro, though, the promotion serves as a potential opportunity to show the Mets front office what he can provide. Austin Warren was promoted several weeks ago in a similar situation-initially to provide innings-but has since become a regular contributor due to the consistency of his stuff and ability to limit damage. In 11 appearances, Warren owns a 1.72 ERA with 16 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .214 batting average.
Pintaro is known as a resilient, multi-inning relief pitcher with a five-pitch arsenal and a funky delivery, helping him excel at limiting hard contact. It's going to be exciting to see whether this MLB stint goes better than his previous one, as well as to find out how long it lasts.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/mets/onsi as What Jonathan Pintaro's Promotion Means for the Mets Bullpen .
