The New York Mets’ starting pitching rotation has been among the most surprisingly pleasant storylines of the 2025 MLB campaign. However, things have gone south in recent weeks following a slew of injuries, with Griffin Canning’s season-ending Achilles rupture being the latest of several blows.
New York placed Canning on the 60-day injured list on June 27, officially marking the end of his incredible renaissance with the Mets. He joins ace Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea and Tylor Megill on the shelf, though the three of them will eventually re-enter the mix. However, the club doesn’t have the luxury of sitting and waiting for reinforcements; they must proactively seek out external options.
Mets must work diligently to replace Griffin Canning
Time is of the essence for the Mets. They’ve seen a 5.5-game lead atop the National League East evaporate in roughly a couple of weeks, ceding high ground to the Philadelphia Phillies. To make matters worse, the Wild Card race is tighter than ever; seven teams competing for three spots are only separated by five losses. In other words, addressing Canning’s absence at the July 31 trade deadline could be a death sentence for New York.
It’ll be very difficult for New York to hold serve over the next month sans Canning, even with the prospects/in-house solutions available to them. Frankie Montas was impressive in his Mets debut after some rocky rehab outings, but his injury history brings cautious optimism.
New York’s top pitching prospect, Brandon Sproat, has struggled at Triple-A Syracuse and doesn’t appear ready to join The Show. The next best arm in their farm system, Jonah Tong, hasn’t made it out of Double-A Binghamton. Then there’s Nolan McLean, who’s fared well since getting promoted to Syracuse, albeit in a small sample size (seven starts, two relief appearances).
None of Sproat, Tong or McLean has proven they can be trusted as a starter for a squad with World Series aspirations. Montas hasn’t shown he can stay healthy for long enough to last into October. Given the expectations the Mets have set for themselves, they can’t play with their food.
Losing Canning stings; he was pacing for a career-best year. Yet, everything the Mets want to achieve remains in front of them. They can’t harp on not having him and let opportunity pass them by. It doesn’t matter who, but New York needs to bring someone in to replace the veteran right-hander.
Canning went 7-3 with a 3.77 ERA, 1.376 WHIP and 70 strikeouts across 76.1 innings of work (16 starts) in 2025 before going down. His steady presence in New York’s constantly evolving starting five can’t be overstated, though they must adapt to the unfortunate circumstances.
