Mets activate Seth Lugo, option Robert Gsellman to Triple-A

Seth Lugo is back, and with Robert Gsellman struggling since returning off the disabled list, the choice for the Mets was an easy one

Prior to Sunday’s doubleheader action in D.C., the Mets activated Seth Lugo off the disabled list. The right-hander had been sidelined since August 15 with a shoulder impingement. At the time he was DL’ed, the Mets were recalling Robert Gsellman up to take his spot. Now, the team is flip flopping the two again, but this time, Gsellman is going down to the minors to get more work in.

This season has been one to forget for a few members of the Mets’ pitching staff, and Gsellman is easily one of them. To say his performance has been disappointing this year would be a tremendous understatement.

Gsellman came into 2017 as arguably the rotation’s best fifth starter regardless of whether everyone stayed healthy or not. After a solid call-up in the later part of the season (one that saw him post an ERA of 2.42 over seven starts and 44 2/3 innings) last year, a few of us – myself included – agreed to giving him the nod over Lugo.

When injury after injury decimated the Mets’ rotation, Gsellman was given a bigger chance to shine, and has been given that chance throughout the entire year, but he just hasn’t been able to perform at all. He’s struggled since the beginning and his ballooned ERA of 5.60 is proof of it.

Hopefully he’s able to work out some issues in Las Vegas while this season wraps up, and can somehow recapture the magic he displayed in 2016.

As for Lugo, he’s been pedestrian in 2017, and has definitely regressed from his great display last season as well. He started in eight games in 2016 and had a 2.67 ERA over 64 innings. He was also a candidate for the rotation coming into this year until the injury bug struck after the World Baseball Classic.

Once he got back on the mound, however, Lugo has shown bits of dominance that get rudely interrupted by starts like the last two he had where he allowed eight runs in 11 innings pitched. His overall ERA of 4.85 with a WHIP of 1.413 desperately needs to get better if he has any plans of being on this rotation next season.

Next: Cespedes to DL, McGowan to Triple-A, Taijeron and Reyes up

Maybe the shoulder issue he’s gotten over helps him settle down and be more consistent. We’ll have to keep an eye on him and see how he performs on Sunday’s second game of the doubleheader in Washington.