PORT ST. LUCIE — Last season, the New York Mets turned to a staggering 46 pitchers, underscoring the age-old baseball wisdom that a team can never have too much pitching.
As of Wednesday, all pitchers who’ve participated in live bullpen sessions have reported no health issues. While it’s still early in spring training, this development bodes well for the team.
“The news is promising so far,” said manager Carlos Mendoza on Wednesday at Clover Park. “Everyone is recovering well and continuing with their routines. Overall, things are looking good.”
The necessity of utilizing 17 different pitchers to start games last season highlighted the critical need for a deep roster of starting pitchers. Reflecting on last summer’s struggles with their starting rotation, David Stearns, president of baseball operations, emphasized the importance of cultivating in-house pitching talent.
This is where homegrown talents Christian Scott and Jonah Tong come into the picture. Although they might eventually become more than just backup options, the presence of six other healthy starters in camp—most notably Nolan McLean, who is the only one with minor league options—means Scott and Tong are positioned as depth players. The Mets are aware of their capabilities, but the lingering question is whether they can maintain performance throughout an entire season.
Scott first appeared in the major leagues in 2024 but was sidelined after nine starts due to a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. The injury was surgically repaired in the fall, leading the Mets to rest him during the 2025 season. Initially, the team planned a cautious approach for his spring training, but his elbow has responded well, allowing him to follow a regular pitching schedule.
The 26-year-old University of Florida product has thrown to hitters about 8-9 times since his surgery, including a two-inning live bullpen in camp earlier this week.
“It’s all about health, right? He looks healthy,” Mendoza said. “I think he was up to 95, and the cutter is a pitch now that looks really good again. We’ve got to build him up, but it was good to see him back out there on the mound, competing and being himself.”
Like many pitchers in camp, Scott has added a cutter to the mix. A converted college reliever, Scott has worked for years to expand his arsenal, and the cutter gives him another pitch to throw to left-handed hitters, with the goal of getting more ground-ball outs.
Lefties hit .333 with a .942 OPS, five home runs and six doubles off of Scott in 2024.
“That was kind of the goal coming into the rehab process,” Scott said. “I knew what I did [well] and I knew what I really needed to work on. Being able to up those usages and being able to get outs when I need to get outs, and being able to get ground balls when I need to get ground balls is important.”
Scott’s received good feedback from Juan Soto and Marcus Semien after his first two-inning live BP, which should be a confidence boost for just about anyone. But Scott has never lacked confidence. He’s always been very self-assured, even when he was making the switch from a reliever to a starter.
Other pitchers had told him that he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep the night before his Major League debut, but that wasn’t the case for him. When Scott was called up to make his first start in front of a large group of friends and family at Tropicana Field in May 2024, he said he “slept like a baby.”
The surgery and the time off did little to change anything about Scott other than his elbow. He’s still the same pitcher who dances in front of his locker before starts and is rarely rattled.
“I feel like I can get anybody out at this level if my stuff is on and I’m competing in the strike zone,” Scott said. “Now I’m obviously doing that while being healthy at the same time.”
The Mets don’t anticipate Scott needing a rehab assignment out of spring training. He’ll start the season on time, whether it’s in the big leagues or in Syracuse, though if everyone stays healthy, he’s likely ticketed for Triple-A. The same goes for Tong, as well as Justin Hagenman and Brandon Waddell, who are stretching out to start but can come out of the bullpen as well.
Tobias Myers is also stretching out to start this spring, even though the Mets plan to use him mostly out of the bullpen. The club likes the idea of having a true long reliever who can open games when needed.
“We want to build him up as a starter, and hopefully everybody is healthy [coming out of camp],” Mendoza said. “There’s a long way to go, and we’ll have to make some adjustments. If we decide to put him in the bullpen, he’s definitely going to be a multiple-inning guy.”
The Mets set a record using 46 different arms last season, a new league record. This year, they’re counting on their youth and versatility to limit that number.
