Mets rookie Christian Scott goes to IL with UCL sprain as team awaits severity
NEW YORK — The New York Mets rotation suffered a blow before the Subway Series, as promising rookie starter Christian Scott landed on the 15-day injured list with a right ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) sprain.
Scott, 25, underwent an MRI on his ailing throwing elbow Tuesday, according to manager Carlos Mendoza, who said the Mets were still working to determine the severity of the injury.
Mendoza said it was too early to consider whether Scott’s season could be over, though he also did not rule out the possibility of surgery.
“There’s always fear, especially because this is something that he dealt with last year as well, but [we’re] still waiting,” Mendoza said before Tuesday’s series opener at Yankee Stadium. “We’re gonna have multiple people take a look at him and see what we’re dealing with before we make a decision.”
Scott told pitching coach Jeremy Hefner that his elbow felt “a little achy” after he exited Sunday’s start in Miami, Mendoza said. The right-hander threw 75 pitches over four innings in that outing, allowing three runs on seven hits.
The soreness persisted when Scott woke up Monday, according to Mendoza, and he underwent imaging after the Mets returned to New York.
Scott entered the season as the Mets’ top pitching prospect and made his MLB debut on May 4. He is 0-3 with a 4.56 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 47.1 innings spanning multiple stints with the Mets.
The Mets have typically given Scott extra rest between his starts, though he did pitch on the standard four days rest during his final two outings before last week’s All-Star break.
“It’s always frustrating. He dealt with this last year, and that’s why we were trying to protect him as much as possible, but it happened,” Mendoza said, without specifying exactly what elbow issue Scott dealt with as a minor-leaguer in 2023.
“I don’t want to speculate here. Hopefully we get some good news, but we’ve got to wait and see.”
To replace Scott on the roster, the Mets on Tuesday called up left-hander Alex Young, whom they had claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants last week. Young did not pitch for the Giants but made three MLB appearances with the Reds this season, totaling two scoreless innings in relief.
The Mets expect ace Kodai Senga to make his 2024 debut on Friday against the Braves after a shoulder strain cost him the first four months of the season.
Their plan to deploy a six-man rotation with the Japanese-born Senga, who mostly pitched on extra rest last season, remains in place despite Scott’s abrupt absence, Mendoza said.
Jose Butto, a converted starter who has excelled in a relief role in July, could be a candidate to fill Scott’s vacated rotation spot.
“It’s been almost a month since he threw 100 pitches, and then it’s been outings of an inning, two innings, no more than 40 pitches,” Mendoza said. “These are the conversations, and we’ll factor all of this into the decision-making.”
Mendoza said the Mets will also consider Tylor Megill, who pitched to a 5.08 ERA before being sent to Triple-A in late June.
____
