The next minor league Mets pitcher expected to get his chance in the majors

The hemorrhaging New York Mets bullpen has stopped the bleeding if for no other reason that they’ve been able to outlast opponents in extra innings thanks in large part to the runner on second rule. Two straight wins over the Washington Nationals in ten innings—the first of which had the bullpen handing over the lead late and the second of which included the Mets coming from behind—at least stopped some of the bitter taste after dropping two against the Houston Astros.

The bullpen remains the most questionable part of the roster. The promotion of Jose Butto helped tremendously on Tuesday with him tossing two scoreless in relief of Sean Manaea. There is still room for some other relievers to join the club including one whom Mike Puma of the NY Post suggests might be the next added to the 40-man roster.

Eric Orze is a name you might know well if you’ve followed Mets prospects and minor leaguers. His awesome 2021 debut season as a professional started in Brooklyn and ended in Syracuse. It’s in Syracuse where he has been ever since (aside from 2 games in St. Lucie) and seems to have finally figured it out.

Eric Orze is the next Mets pitcher we should expect added to the 40-man roster

Orze has pitched to a 3.86 ERA this season in 37.1 innings of work. They’re pedestrian numbers in comparison to several others, including Matt Festa whom we’d all rather not see on the mound again. 

An impressive June is one of the reasons why Orze has landed as a serious option for the Mets. He made 7 appearances out of the bullpen, pitched 10.2 innings, and struck out 17 while walking 2. The 1.69 ERA helped turn his season around. 

Like far too many young pitchers, control was Orze’s weakness. The 5.31 ERA he posted for Syracuse last season wasn’t as bad as his 6 walks per 9. Despite always having big strikeout numbers, there has often been a reason to hold Orze back. In 2022, it was the home run ball. He served them up at a rate of 2.1 per 9 in his time in Triple-A. 

A bit more balance has been found this year although the home run ball has continued to affect him negatively at times. It has been detrimental to several of his teammates, too.

Orze will most likely only have a chance to join the revolving door of Mets relievers rather than find a spot to stick. The team recently promoted Bryce Montes de Oca back to Triple-A and Shintaro Fujinami has moved up to Double-A for his rehab. Those two may also play a factor in the Mets bullpen in July. Before getting to the trade deadline, they’ll need to have the best idea possible of who can actually be a part of the relief corps and how many spare parts they’ll need to pick up elsewhere.