1 more Mets player fans are ready to see follow Adrian Houser to the bullpen

It didn’t take long for New York Mets fans to give up on Adrian Houser. It’s hard to believe he was ever a member of the team’s rotation. With so many alternative options, they were able to cut his time as a starter short.

Houser moved to the bullpen and has secured himself into being somewhat of an important part of the team’s 2024 plans. We’ve seen a whole different kind of pitcher in relief. Through 21.2 innings of work in 9 games, the rental picked up in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers is 1-0 with a 1.66 ERA.

The juxtaposition from his 0-4 record and 8.55 ERA in 7 starts spanning 33.2 innings is a pleasant surprise for a pitcher who got thrashed around by hitters. He could soon have some company in the bullpen. Tylor Megill, after getting clobbered by the Chicago Cubs, is a candidate to suffer the same fate.

Is it time for the Mets to move Tylor Megill into a relief role?

There isn’t much room or a need for Megill in the bullpen right now. Keeping him stretched out as a starter is probably the more preferred plan. Rather than send him to the bullpen, sending him to work on things in Syracuse seems probable.

Megill has been nasty at times this season. The 11.5 strikeouts per 9 is insane. The walks are up though, now at 4.3 per 9 after Saturday’s loss to the Cubs. It’s a new career high for him.

This is a familiar story for Megill. He cruises along for several starts only to fall backwards or get hurt. Sometimes it’s both. While still popular amongst many fans, the career numbers are average or below. A 4.73 ERA. An 85 ERA+. Megill has evolved this season into a major strikeout pitcher who doesn’t give up home runs. And yet he still has managed to regress where it matters most.

The first inning has been murderous for Megill. It was again on Saturday with 5 runs across. Hitters are now slashing .344/.447/.438 against him in the first. The line drops to .259/.310/.370 in the second. They’re under the Mendoza Line in the third and fourth.

Batters have been held to a .167/.274/.315 slash line this season the second time through the order against Megill. Versus the .333/.410/.444 the first time seeing him and even the .227/.320/.318 in the 25 instances when they faced him a third time, it’s the reverse of what we would normally expect.

The Mets are just 2-5 in his 7 starts this season. It’s not all his fault. His 7 shutout innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers resulted in a loss for the team. It’s the only game where he retired more than 15 batters. It’s also the only game all year where he walked fewer than 2 batters.

Would a transition from starter to reliever work for Megill? There’s never any telling how players will adjust. Megill has been different this season and yet the results are the same. The leash needs to start tightening. At the very least, the Mets need to find out for sure if Christian Scott or Jose Butto are improvements. From what we saw out of each earlier this year, they absolutely seem to be.