Sean Manaea is far from the level he showed last season.
After missing most of the first half of the current campaign due to injury, the left-hander hasn’t been able to deliver what the New York Mets expect of him, and the consequences have not been long in coming.
A report from The Athletic on Sunday stated that Manaea would be moved to the bullpen before Sunday’s finale of the three-game series against the Texas Rangers. Another report, this one from MLB Trade Rumors, said that the player himself confirmed that he would be available from the bullpen during the series against the San Diego Padres, which begins Tuesday.
Manaea has appeared in 11 games this season for the Mets, 10 of them as a starter. He has won only one, with three losses, and carries a 5.76 ERA. Even worse, he has allowed 10 home runs in just 50 innings, for a 4.6% home run percentage.
His struggles have been very evident recently. In his last five games, he has allowed 19 earned runs and 28 hits, including six home runs, in just 23 innings pitched.
This is a complete opposite of last season, when Manaea pitched 32 games for New York, with 12 wins, six losses, and a 3.47 ERA. Only 21 of the 134 hits he allowed were home runs, and he struck out 184 in 181 2/3 innings.
The decision to send Manaea to the bullpen suggests the Mets will use a five-man starting rotation for the remaining 14 games of the regular season. Veterans Clay Holmes and David Peterson will likely be joined by rookies Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong, who have so pleasantly surprised New York fans.
Entering Sunday, the Mets’ playoff hopes hang in the balance. After losing eight straight games, they remained third in the National League wild-card standings, but just a half-game ahead of the San Francisco Giants. They have no chance in the NL East Division, where they sit 13 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies.
