LOS ANGELES — The Mets’ rotation, already thin, took another blow Tuesday when the team placed Carlos Carrasco on the 15-day injured list because of right elbow inflammation.
Carrasco, scheduled to start Friday in San Francisco, went 0-2 with an 8.56 ERA in his first three outings. His velocity was noticeably down in those games, and he walked as many batters (eight) as he struck out.
Although Carrasco pitched his best start last time out in Oakland — allowing two runs in five innings — he left with abnormal pain and swelling in his elbow, according to manager Buck Showalter. That prompted the Mets to track Carrasco and, eventually, fly him back to New York for an MRI. The team should know the results of that test on Wednesday.
“It’s a challenge,” Showalter said.
Elbow issues are nothing new for Carrasco, who is 18 months removed from surgery to remove a bone from the joint. Carrasco also missed his last Grapefruit League start because of what Showalter called “an elbow strain,” describing it as typical for Carrasco. To what extent Carrasco experienced continued discomfort through April is unclear.
In his absence, the Mets will have to dip further into their starting pitching depth, which was solid at the start of Spring Training but has since taken a lot of hits. In addition to Carrasco, starters Justin Verlander (teres major strain) and José Quintana (recovery from rib surgery) are in IL. Verlander should be back in May, Quintana not until July at the earliest. Due to their absences, the Mets were forced to make David Peterson and Tylor Megill regular members of the rotation, where both experienced success.
The Mets also pushed back Max Scherzer’s last start due to lingering back pain; he is scheduled to return to the mound on Wednesday.
“I try to look on the positive side,” Showalter said. “I hope tonight and tomorrow go well.”
So who could replace Carrasco? Scherzer’s interim replacement, José Butto, was optioned back to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday. The Mets could have recalled Butto when they put Carrasco on the IL, but they opted for an extra reliever, Jeff Brigham. MLB rules now prohibit the Mets from recalling Butto within 10 days of his demotion, unless the team places someone else on IL.
The most obvious candidate to come out of Syracuse is left-hander Joey Lucchesi, who is 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA in three starts at Syracuse. The team could also go with a bullpen game if it wants to push reliever Tommy Hunter, who will return from IL in the coming days, for multiple innings.
