Mets' Tylor Megill must make minors adjustment for major-league return
Mets starting pitcher Tylor Megill takes off his cap in the dugout before a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Friday, June 9, 2023. Credit: AP/Gene J. Puskar
PHILADELPHIA — For the first time since the Mets called him up in 2021, Tylor Megill is a minor-leaguer, demoted to Triple-A Syracuse and readying to join that club’s rotation — an opportunity, in the eyes of team decision-makers, for the righthander to figure out whatever has gone wrong for him this season.
Megill has a chance to return to the majors this season, manager Buck Showalter said. But that will require improvement.
“He controls that. Go down there and pitch well,” Showalter said. “I’m hoping to see him go down there and put some things to use and be a little freer to try some things that he’s been wanting to. It’s tough to experiment up here.”
Showalter called the optioning of Megill “a chance for him to get back to what he’s capable of.” Although he has been effective for stretches in the majors, he never has sustained that, especially this season. He had a 5.17 ERA — compared to 4.73 the previous two seasons — in 15 starts.
When Megill was at his best last year, he consistently reached the upper 90s with his fastball (and said he wanted to touch 100 mph). But then he hurt his shoulder and decided to not throw so hard. This season, his fastball has averaged 94.5 mph.
“Physically, it’s not in his best interest [to throw as hard as possible],” Showalter said.
Megill’s walk rate spiked from 2.5 per nine innings to 4.9. As pitching coach Jeremy Hefner put it this week, Megill had gotten away from being a “come-right-after-you guy” who fired pitches instead of worrying so much about mechanics.
“He just needs to get back to who he was when he was just throwing the baseball,” Hefner said.
Neither Megill nor lefthander David Peterson, both 27, pitched at the level the Mets expected this season after injuries forced them into the season-opening rotation. Peterson had an 8.08 ERA in eight starts before they sent him to Syracuse.
The Mets are 8-15 in games started by that pair. They entered Friday 26-25 in all other games.
“If you look at their body of work, everything pointed to them taking another step,” Showalter said. “It’s been frustrating for them and us that it hasn’t happened.”
Showalter said the Mets are considering two or three pitchers to take Megill’s place in the rotation Tuesday.
“Who’s best?” Showalter said. “Who is your best option to win a game in the major leagues?”
As the rotation turns
The Mets are flipping the order of their starters this weekend, with Max Scherzer switching to Saturday (on regular rest) and Carlos Carrasco moving to Sunday (a week after his most recent start).
That accomplishes something Showalter had wanted to do for weeks: Separating Scherzer and Justin Verlander in the rotation order. Verlander will pitch Monday against the Brewers, the start of a weeklong homestand.
Extra bases
Jose Quintana (rib surgery in March) is scheduled to make his third rehab start Sunday with an affiliate to be decided. If he stays on schedule for his early July return, that will be his second-to-last minor-league outing . . . A sudden downpour Friday afternoon interrupted Verlander’s bullpen session — twice. “Three up/downs,” he said, using the baseball slang for simulating innings . . . On the Mets’ off day Thursday, Francisco Lindor popped up to New York to take in the Dead & Company concert at Citi Field with his wife, Katia. John Mayer wore a Lindor No. 12 shirsey on stage, then Lindor gave him a tour of the ballpark. “They’re so good and so perfectionist,” Lindor said. “It was a cool experience.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
