New York Mets make Max Kranick decision amid Justin Hagenman call-up

The New York Mets have sent down one of their most impressive relief arms, at least in the interim, to make room for an extra pitcher on Wednesday in Justin Hagenman.

The reason behind this decision is due to the fact that Griffin Canning is dealing with an illness and wasn't able to make his latest start in the Mets' rubber game in Minnesota against the Twins.

“This is something that we’ve talked to them [about],” Carlos Mendoza told reporters on Wednesday. “Guys that have options, sometimes it has nothing to do with performance. It’s just things that happen through a major league season that are out of their control. It’s not their fault, but it’s just the nature of the business, so here we are.”

MLB rules say Kranick would have to spend a minimum of 15 days in the minor leagues after being optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, however, the Mets can recall the 27-year-old once they put center fielder Jose Siri on the injured list. Siri went down over the weekend with a fractured tibia after fouling a pitch off of his leg in an at-bat.

Kranick's breakout spring training performance has translated into the regular season as the right-hander has posted a 1.54 ERA in 11.2 innings (seven appearances) of work.

The Mets called up Hagenman, who was the only healthy 40-man roster starter that was on schedule to pitch Wednesday. The 28-year-old is expected to make his major league debut in today's rubber match sometime after Huascar Brazoban's outing as the team's opener.

As for Canning, Mendoza is expecting the righty to be able to pitch for the Mets on either Thursday or Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals. However, the skipper wouldn't commit and made it clear the club is in wait-and-see mode with Canning's illness.