Mets left-hander Joey Lucchesi went unclaimed on waivers and was assigned outright to the crew’s Triple-A roster in Syracuse, per their transaction log at MLB.com. He was designated for project final week when the Mets acquired righty Phil Maton from the Rays.
Lucchesi has greater than three years of massive league service time and thus has the precise to reject the project in favor of free company, however he’s nonetheless a pair months shy of the 5 years of service he’d must retain the rest of his $1.65MM wage upon rejecting an outright. As such, he’ll doubtless settle for and head again to Syracuse, the place he’s already spent the majority of the 2024 season.
Lucchesi, 31, got here to the Mets as a part of the 2021 three-team commerce higher recognized for sending Joe Musgrove to San Diego and David Bednar to Pittsburgh. New York shipped catching prospect Endy Rodriguez to the Pirates as a part of that deal and netted Lucchesi from the Friars. He missed the 2022 season on account of Tommy John surgical procedure however has been a often used depth arm for the Mets in three different seasons with the group.
In 89 1/3 frames as a Met, Lucchesi has pitched to a 3.93 ERA with a 20.1% strikeout fee, 8.6% stroll fee, 42.8% grounder fee and 0.91 HR/9. He’s pitched simply 4 1/3 MLB frames this season and has in any other case spent the 12 months in Triple-A, the place he’s logged 83 2/3 innings with a 4.20 earned run common. He’s fanned 17.9% of his opponents there and registered a 9.7% stroll fee.
Even with high starter Kodai Senga on the injured record for the whole season thus far, the Mets haven’t discovered too many alternatives for Lucchesi. Veterans Jose Quintana, Luis Severino and Sean Manaea have mixed to start out 55 of the crew’s video games. Offseason commerce pickup Adrian Houser began seven video games however has moved to a multi-inning position within the bullpen. David Peterson and Tylor Megill, each longtime depth choices alongside Lucchesi, have began eight video games apiece — as has high prospect Christian Scott. Twenty-six-year-old righty Jose Butto has began seven.
It’s a strong group of rotation choices, notably with Senga trending towards a return. Lucchesi will now stick round and supply additional depth within the occasion that accidents hit the workers tougher within the second half than within the first. If he’s not added again to the 40-man roster between now and season’s finish, he’ll have the chance to grow to be a minor league free agent (as is the case for all gamers with three-plus years of MLB service who’re outrighted off a 40-man roster and never re-selected).
