Mets Make Unexpected Christian Scott Roster Decision

It was later revealed by MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post that Scott is dealing with a hip issue. Heyman reiterated that it's not believed to be a serious injury.

Shortly thereafter, Sammon reported that the Mets are recalling relief pitcher Jonathan Pintaro from Triple-A Syracuse to take Scott's roster spot.

The Mets rotation has been in constant flux all season, and after the Scott news, it only gets more complicated. The Mets currently have just two starters remaining from their Opening Day rotation: Nolan McLean and Freddy Peralta.

The other three members of the Opening Day rotation are no longer in their original roles. Clay Holmes (fractured fibula) remains sidelined for several more months, Kodai Senga has encountered setbacks in his recovery, and David Peterson was recently shifted to the bullpen.

With Scott sidelined, the Mets have several options to replace him. Peterson could slide back into the rotation, although that seems unlikely given his recent struggles. The Mets also have Jonah Tong and Zach Thornton in the minor leagues, both of whom have already made starts this season and are on the 40-man roster. However, Tong tossed five innings for Syracuse yesterday and Thornton pitched 0.2 innings on Saturday.

New York also has Tobias Myers, who was recalled to start Monday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Myers was sent to Triple-A Syracuse earlier this season to get stretched out as a starter because of the Mets' rotation needs. However, he will likely be limited to around 40 pitches Monday and may not be fully stretched out for several more weeks. Myers threw 2.2 innings on 36 pitches in his longest outing for Syracuse last week.

The loss of Scott hurts even more given how reliable he has been this season. In nine starts, Scott is 2-0 with a 3.10 ERA and 47 strikeouts over 40.2 innings.

While he has gone beyond five innings just twice, he consistently keeps the Mets in games. That has been a trend throughout his brief major league career. In 18 career starts, Scott has never allowed more than four earned runs.

The Mets have failed to gain momentum this season largely because of their growing injury list. That applies to both their pitching staff and position player group. It is a major reason they remain seven games under .500 as of this date.

Every time it looks like New York might be turning a corner, more bad news seems to follow. The Mets are coming off a series win over the first-place Atlanta Braves, but now they face another obstacle with Scott's injury.

New York begins a pivotal road trip in Cincinnati tonight before heading to Philadelphia for a weekend series against the Phillies.