Mets depth chart: 2 players moving up, 2 players moving down

Enough games now in the rearview for the New York Mets, there is some shaking up going on with the depth chart. The promotion of Brett Baty to the majors has already pushed Eduardo Escobar aside. What about those other players who find themselves changing places?

Heading into Sunday’s action, these two players look like they’re moving up the depth chart while this other pair are moving down it.

NY Mets depth chart: Joey Lucchesi is moving up

A masterful start by Joey Lucchesi on Friday has pushed him up the depth chart. He gave the Mets 7 shutout innings in their victory over the San Francisco Giants. This performance immediately adds him into the starting rotation picture for the foreseeable future.

It’s been a while since Lucchesi has pitched in the big leagues. He was out for nearly all of the 2022 season recovering from Tommy John Surgery in the middle of the 2021 season. This promising outing may be just the beginning of a triumphant return. Or maybe it’s merely a mirage.

On the depth chart, the Mets need to start considering him as a guy capable of sticking around. They’ve been in need of arms all season. Lucchesi’s promising debut should put him in contention to start again and maybe even find a slightly more permanent roster spot with the big league club.

It’s impossible to ignore Lucchesi as a piece of this year’s puzzle. Move him up the depth chart already. While he hasn’t quite surpassed Tylor Megill, Lucchesi should be a strong consideration to get on the mound ahead of this next pitcher who moves down the depth chart.

NY Mets depth chart: David Peterson is moving down

David Peterson snagged a roster spot out of camp because of the Jose Quintana injury. Later joined by Megill, Peterson has been the less effective young arm in the rotation this season.

Peterson’s latest start helped balloon his ERA up even further to 7.36 on the season. Now 1-3 after 5 starts, the front office could be thinking about a change in the rotation. While Lucchesi is moving up, it’s Peterson he passes on the depth chart.

There’s definitely no need to start panicking about Peterson’s performance. As weak as it has been, he was never meant to be more than a sixth or maybe even seventh starter. Other than striking out batters at a high rate, not much has gone well for him. He is the not-so-proud owner of a 1.64 WHIP. Batters own a .311 batting average against him.

It may only be a matter of time before Peterson is sent back to the minors. The Mets need him right now during Max Scherzer’s suspension and the continued IL stint for Justin Verlander and even Carlos Carrasco.

Patience is definitely wearing thin. The next time out could be Peterson’s final chance before an at least temporary demotion down to Triple-A. He’ll remain in contention for more starts as needed.

NY Mets depth chart: John Curtiss is moving down

The Mets already made it official with John Curtiss. Partly out of need for a fresh arm, Curtiss has been demoted to Triple-A. In 9 appearances and 10.1 innings of work, Curtiss had a 4.35 ERA. It wasn’t a miserable stretch, however, Curtiss wasn’t anything closer to his spring training dominance that helped him secure a roster spot out of camp.

It’s not a surprise to see Curtiss shuttled to the minors. He was the most reasonable pitcher to be demoted from the beginning of the 2023 season. Rather than secure a spot as a go-to arm for Buck Showalter in the sixth or seventh inning, Curtiss is now on the ferry between the majors and minors. He’ll get his next shot possibly after an injury or if a pitcher like Yacabonis becomes a burden in the bullpen.

Expectations for Curtiss haven’t changed all that much. A middle reliever is about where he should’ve fit in from the start. A bigger contribution would’ve been delightful. What he gave them in his brief time is about on-par, maybe slightly below, reasonable expectations.

Curtiss will be back as long as he’s able to stay healthy. The Mets bullpen has already needed a whole lot of arms to get through this year and we’re not even done with April.