The New York Mets desperately need something to flip the momentum in their favor, and they’re going with the youth movement on Saturday.
Right-handed pitcher Nolan McLean, the Mets’ No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, will make his Major League Baseball debut on Saturday at an inopportune time, with his team mired in a horrific slump and All-Star Bryan Woo on the mound for the opposing Seattle Mariners.
And speaking of inopportune, the Mets also had to cut someone loose to facilitate McLean’s addition to both the active and 40-man rosters.
According to multiple reports, including one from MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, the Mets planned to designate veteran righty Paul Blackburn for assignment. Blackburn, who spent far more time on the injured list than the active roster since arriving in a July trade last year.
Blackburn, 31, is a member of the “surprise one-time All-Star club.” He made the team in 2022 for the club then known as the Oakland Athletics, but his ERA that season landed at 4.28, and his career mark is 4.96.
Dealing with a host of injuries (hand, back, knee, shoulder), Blackburn only made 12 appearances for the Mets in the majors. He totaled a 6.00 ERA in 48 innings, with 62 hits allowed to 39 strikeouts.
After pitching five solid innings out of the bullpen for the Mets on Wednesday, his first outing since being activated from the 15-day injured list, Blackburn finds himself without a job.
Because he has over five years of service time, Blackburn can elect free agency if he clears waivers, or he can decide to stay in the Mets organization and be outrighted to Triple-A.
Saturday will be all about McLean in Queens as the Mets try to win their second game in 12 tries. But Blackburn’s departure serves as one more reminder that their strategy of finding diamonds in the rough on the mound isn’t always a winning one.
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