Zack Wheeler is just about ready…what happens now?:

Last night for Las Vegas, Zack Wheeler was tremendous over his 7.1 innings of work.  He gave up two runs (both earned), while throwing 99 pitches (61 strikes).  He allowed six hits, walked one, and struck out seven while lowering his ERA to 3.74.  I watched last night’s game, and Wheeler was in complete control.  His fastball was sizzling, and he was working in his secondary stuff beautifully.  Of the six hits he allowed, five were singles (the other was a homer).

Feb 23, 2013; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (65) throws in the third inning during a spring training game against the Washington Nationals at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Over his last three starts, Wheeler has compiled the following line: 20 innings pitched, 14 hits, 4 earned runs, 3 walks, 19 strikeouts.

Sandy Alderson has always alluded to a possible “convergence of events” leading to Wheeler’s promotion, and we may be close to that convergence.  Wheeler dealt with both a blister and a mechanical flaw at the beginning of the season.  Since the blister has gone away and the flaw has been corrected, Wheeler has been fantastic.  At the major league level, the only reliable starter the Mets have at the moment is Matt Harvey.  Not only are the other four pitchers failing to keep the other team off the board, they’ve also been unable to work much past the fourth or fifth inning.

As noted above, Wheeler’s readiness and a dire need at the big league level seem to be converging.  Jonathon Niese, regardless of what he says, has been pitching hurt.  If he’s fine now, great.  If not, he should be placed on the disabled list until he is.  Shaun Marcum, who was on the disabled list for the first month of the season, has been a disaster.  If either of those pitchers are placed on the disabled list, it could pave the way for Wheeler.  If Marcum simply continues to pitch the way he has (serving up slop and failing to work past the fifth inning), he should be removed from the rotation.

Now, the “Super Two” cutoff is still a consideration (the date is now projected to be around June 4th).  If the Mets wait until then to promote Wheeler, he’d likely make four more starts in AAA.  So far, we’ve yet to hear any sources shoot down the possibility of Wheeler coming up in the next week or so.  We may yet hear someone shoot the idea down.  Either way, Wheeler’s debut is so close you can almost taste it.

Familia to the DL, Burke up, Francisco ailing:

As expected, the Mets have called up a bullpen arm (Greg Burke) to bolster the exhausted bullpen.  To make room for Burke on the roster, Jeurys Familia (who has been dealing with biceps tendinitis) has been placed on the disabled list.

Familia was just starting to come into his own a bit, so it’s unfortunate that he has to hit the DL.  Hopefully it’s a short term thing for him.  Burke, who broke camp with the team before being sent down to AAA, was quite bad during his brief stint earlier this season.  In 7.1 innings pitched, Burke had a 7.36 ERA and 1.77 WHIP.

Frank Francisco, who had been rehabbing, was unable to throw his scheduled bullpen session yesterday.  According to the beat writers, Francisco is now complaining of discomfort in his surgically repaired elbow and will be flown to New York to be examined by team doctors.  The Mets can forget about Francisco being activated any time soon.

The Valdespin saga:

The Jordany Valdespin bat flip that led to him being drilled yesterday has been the talk of twitter.  Now, it’s clear that Valdespin isn’t a favorite in the clubhouse – no one acknowledged him when he returned to the dugout after being hit.  Still, the “Valdespin is a cancer” narrative is getting a bit absurd.

First of all, Valdespin’s bat flip wasn’t that blatant.  I’ve seen much worse from players who are well respected.  Second, there are certain announcers who shouldn’t be acting all high and mighty regarding Valdespin’s antics (Ron Darling), considering they were a part of the ’86 Mets – a team that showboated its way to 108 wins.

Now, does Valdespin have some growing up to do?  Of course.  But to act as if he’s what’s wrong with the team and/or that his behavior is outlandish, is ridiculous.  You want to see outlandish on field behavior?  Go watch a clip of how the Dominican team acted during the World Baseball Classic.

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Jeurys Familia is dealing with tendinitis in his right elbow:

According to Mark Hale in the New York Post, Mets reliever Jeurys Familia has soreness/tendinitis in his right (pitching) elbow.  The elbow first started bothering Familia during the inning he pitched on Wednesday night, and he was unavailable last night.  Writes Hale:

Asked if he was concerned about the situation, Familia shrugged.  ‘I want to play,’ he said.  Manager Terry Collins said he was aware of Familia’s condition before the game [Thursday] and used his bullpen accordingly.

When asked how long he’d be out, Familia responded by saying “I’ll be OK – a couple of days.”

Hopefully this is just a blip on the radar for Familia, who has been very solid recently.  I’d expect the Mets to have him examined (if he hasn’t been already) before clearing him to return to action.

Travis d’Arnaud could be a week away from starting rehab on his broken foot:

Travis d’Arnaud, who suffered a broken foot when a ball was fouled off him while catching on April 17th, is scheduled to fly to New York a week from today to be evaluated by team doctors.  It’s expected that d’Arnaud will then fly to Florida to begin rehab.  It was initially thought that d’Arnaud would miss eight weeks, but he says he may return sooner:

I’m going to New York May 17 for a doctors appointment. I know after I see the doctor I go to Florida to start strengthening. Who knows, it could be quicker (than eight weeks), you never know.

With John Buck cooling off, it’ll be great to see d’Arnaud get back in action.  If all goes well, d’Arnaud will be back in games by early or mid June, which could pave the way for his major league debut right around the All-Star break.

Zack Wheeler could be called up soon, or not:

Yesterday, Las Vegas manager Wally Backman stated that if Zack Wheeler threw in his next two starts like he did in his prior two starts, he wouldn’t be long for AAA.  Backman speculated that Wheeler would be  “about two weeks away” from the majors in that scenario.  In the Daily News, Andy Martino quoted several Mets sources regarding the potential promotion date of Zack Wheeler.

Mar 18, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; New York Mets catcher Travis d

According to Martino, one source said Wheeler would be up by June 1st “at the latest,” while another source referred to that timetable as “a little aggressive.”  A third source opined that Wheeler’s promotion could be even further off, occurring sometime in July.  Regardless of the speculation, Martino continues to report that it will be Wheeler’s performance that dictates his eventual callup, not his Super Two status:

The team has never been overly concerned about keeping Wheeler in the minors through mid-to-late June in order to avoid becoming an expensive ‘Super Two’ player, a distinction in salary arbitration determined by big league service time. Although financial considerations are not entirely irrelevant, Mets people insist the decision will be based largely on Wheeler’s readiness.

Predicting when Wheeler will be called up is and always has been a total guessing game.  If Wheeler continues to perform as he has recently and the Mets’ rotation remains unsettled, Wheeler’s big league debut could be around the corner.  Still, only Sandy Alderson knows what the true timetable is.  Wheeler next starts tomorrow for Las Vegas.

Jenrry Mejia returns to game action:

Jenrry Mejia, who was shut down during spring training with a forearm injury, has recently resumed pitching in extended spring training in Port St. Lucie.  He’s scheduled to make his first rehab start for St. Lucie (high A) tomorrow.

The Mets have been yanking Mejia back and forth from starter to reliever for the last three plus years, so It’d be nice for them to pick a plan and stick with it this time around.  If Mejia progresses and improves his command, he could be either a rotation option later in the season or a live arm to add to the bullpen (depending on the role the Mets choose for him).

Shin-Soo Choo is a potential free agent target:

In the Daily News, John Harper quotes various Mets and baseball executives who believe the team will go after free agent Shin-Soo Choo after the season:

‘I’d bet on him being a Met next season,’ one major league exec with past ties to GM Sandy Alderson said on Thursday.  ‘He’s a high on-base percentage guy, which is what Sandy wants, and he’s a really good hitter.’

In January, Rising Apple listed four outfielders the Mets should consider signing after 2013.  Those outfielders were Carlos Gomez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, and Choo.  Gomez has since signed an extension with the Brewers, so he’s off the board.

Choo, who will turn 31 in July, is hitting .323 with a major league leading .453 OBP to go along with seven homers and 15 RBI’s.  Over his nine year career, Choo’s 162 game average shakes out as follows: a .291 batting average, .385 OBP, 20 homers, 86 RBI’s, 92 runs scored, and 38 doubles.  He’s currently playing center field for the Reds, but he’s better suited in one of the corner outfield spots.  His agent is Scott Boras.

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ORIGINAL STORY: Per Adam Rubin, reliever Jeurys Familia is on his way to Denver from AAA.  Rubin noted that it’s unclear when or if Familia will be activated:

With a gloomy, snowy forecast tonight, Wednesday’s game could be postponed to a doubleheader Thursday. In that scenario, the 23-year-old Familia may only need to be activated between games if the bullpen were taxed in the opener.

Later, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweeted the following:

Jeurys Familia headed to join Mets. Plan as of last night was to ship out Greg Burke, I’m told.

— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) April 17, 2013

If true, shipping out Burke seems like the rational move.  In 7 appearances, Burke has given up 10 hits in 7 innings.  He has a 7.36 ERA to go along with a 1.77 WHIP.

Mar 11, 2012; Lakeland, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jeurys Familia (27) pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the game at Joker Marchant Stadium. The Mets beat the Tigers 11-0. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Since being shipped to AAA Las Vegas after one uneven appearance, Familia has worked as the closer and appeared in 5 games.  Familia has held the opposition scoreless in 5 innings spanning 4 appearances.  He’s given up 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4.

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