How the New York Mets bullpen could get stronger soon

The New York Mets' bullpen has been elite so far this season with a 2.10 ERA as a unit, which is good for the third-best mark in all of baseball.

Now, we're only 20 games into the regular season, but what this group has done is still impressive and has helped the Mets accumulate a 13-7 record.

And the rich could be getting richer soon.

It sounds like right-hander Dedniel Nunez is nearing a return to the big-leagues as he continues to ramp up in Triple-A Syracuse.

"He continues to do whatever we ask him to do," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters on Friday of Nunez. "Now it's just a matter of when do we call him up. He pitched last night, definitely down today, so we'll see what we have in the next couple of days."

Nunez pitched again on Thursday for Syracuse, striking out two batters in a scoreless inning where he threw a total of 28 pitches. This was Nunez's third straight scoreless appearance as he looks like he is clamoring to return to the big-league club.

The hard-throwing righty has not appeared in the majors since last August due to a pronator strain. Nunez was able to avoid surgery and rehab the injury in the offseason. The Mets opted to send him down to the minors at the end of spring training to work on his command before he is deemed ready to come back.

Prior to going down with a season-ending injury last summer, Nunez was one of the Mets' best relievers with a 2.31 ERA in 25 appearances. Nunez endured a breakout season with the Mets in 2024 at the age of 28-years-old.

Once he returns, Nunez will likely serve as one of the Mets' main setup men to closer Edwin Diaz alongside A.J. Minter and Ryne Stanek. Nunez continues to progress in Triple-A, which means he is getting close to a return to the Mets. This will only make an already dominant bullpen even scarier.