Mets players on the 40-man roster with minor league options

Minor league options will come into play from some of the earliest decisions the New York Mets make. Having enough available flexibility to demote a guy for someone fresher or potentially better will allow them to get through the grueling 162 game schedule.

The current Mets 40-man roster doesn’t include a whole lot of players with minor league options. As of February 20, these are the players they can demote without having to designate anyone for assignment, divided into three categories.

Mets players with minor league options who could get demoted

1) Brett Baty
2) DJ Stewart
3) Mark Vientos
4) Shintaro Fujinami

There’s no guarantee any of these four do get sent to Syracuse at any point this year. Brett Baty, DJ Stewart, and Mark Vientos will find themselves sent downward due to poor performance.

Unfortunately for Shintaro Fujinami, as one of only two pitchers with minor league options, he can become a casualty when the club needs a more rested reliever on the roster or even a sixth starter for a day.

Mets players with minor league options who are longshots for a demotion

5) Francisco Alvarez
6) Kodai Senga

It’s highly unlikely we see Francisco Alvarez or Kodai Senga sent to the minors. Alvarez would be the far likely candidate although with the way the Mets have set up expectations and their roster this season, we can consider him a longshot. He’d need to be atrocious in every way possible to not continue to learn at the major league level.

Far less so is for the Mets to demote the perceived ace of their pitching staff. Senga has minor league options available for the same reason as Fujinami. It’s one of the benefits of signing an international free agent. They didn’t use up their options or service time as a young kid cutting his teeth in the minors or as depth.

Mets players with minor league options unlikely to start the year on the roster

7) Luisangel Acuna
8) Jose Butto
9) Reed Garrett
10) Grant Hartwig
11) Joey Lucchesi
12) Tylor Megill
13) Alex Ramirez
14) Josh Walker

Only an injury can push a member from this group onto the Opening Day roster. The two prospects on it, Luisangel Acuna and Alex Ramirez, are in a different class as highly-regarded young players whose placement on the 40-man roster came as a protection against being eligible in the Rule 5 Draft.

The trio of Jose Butto, Joey Lucchesi, and Tylor Megill will be starting pitching depth for the Mets. While not expected to make the Opening Day roster, one of the three will be on speed dial the moment the Mets need a sixth starter should they decide to make a roster move to accommodate the need.

Then there is Reed Garrett, Grant Hartwig, and Josh Walker. Three relievers on the 40-man roster only contending this spring to replace an injured player and make a strong early first impression with the coaching staff and front office, their survival on the 40-man roster is helped by how many players aren’t optional. By the time we get to Opening Day, expect around five cuts barring injury.

Mets players with minor league options on the 60-day IL

1)Ronny Mauricio
2) David Peterson

No longer on the 40-man roster because they’re on the 60-day IL, let’s not forget about Ronny Mauricio and David Peterson. Remaining options for them are a bit tricky as each has only one left. If they return from the IL and are reassigned to Syracuse, that’ll be the end of having the luxury of discovering what they mean to the ball club. In the right circumstances, they’ll come back to the Mets major league roster immediately so as to not waste the final option. It’ll be dependent on timing and what the health of the rest of the roster looks like.