Mets lose relief pitcher to IL

The New York Mets were the darlings of the National League East for the first month and change of the MLB season, but the club’s recent struggles have pushed them behind the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies in the standings. Now, an illness will sideline one of the Mets’ more dynamic arms.

According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, New York has placed reliever Jose Butto on the injured list with an undisclosed illness, adding another layer of stress for a team that is trying to stay afloat.

“We announced he is ill, and we want to leave it at that,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We’re not going to get into the details of it out of respect of Butto. But we don’t anticipate this being long-term. We expect him to be back right after the All-Star break.”

The team does not believe that the 27-year-old will need a rehab assignment prior to returning. Even still, the timeline is not ideal for a New York team that has lost four of their last 10 games and is only a middle-of-the pack bunch in terms of bullpen ERA.

Across 31 games, Butto has earned two wins and a 2.47 ERA. According to Baseball savant, the Cumana native ranks in the 83rd percentile in Whiff% and the 76th percentile in GB%.

New York’s starting rotation had already been dealing with injuries to Sean Manaea, Griffin Canning and Kodai Senga among others. The situation has produced a taxing workload for a bullpen that has also dealt with injuries and general inconsistencies.

The loss of Butto will inevitably place more responsibility on other members of the bullpen. Further, it takes away an option to use an “opener.” While Butto has not started a game this season, he has been used in this fashion a number of times throughout his career in MLB.

The Mets are presently 1.5 games behind the first-place Phillies. The divisional race is far from over, but New York will need to regain their health and dependability.