JUPITER — Tylor Megill learned a new pitch from Kodai Senga over the winter. Now, he’s taking his spot in the Mets’ rotation.
The Mets informed Megill on Wednesday morning that he will be in the rotation out of camp. The decision was between Megill and right-hander Jose Buttó. In the end, they chose Megill and his revamped repertoire and optioned Buttó to minor league camp. Buttó is expected to start the season with Triple-A Syracuse.
“They both looked pretty good, so that was a tough one,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday from Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. “We’ve been saying that we were going to be facing some tough conversations and this morning, we had one with Buttó. Not only because of the way he’s been throwing the ball but how he prepares, the way he goes about his business, how good of a teammate he is. He basically did everything that we asked him to do.”
Senga’s shoulder injury opened the door for one of the two right-handers to make the team out of camp. Megill was always the frontrunner for the spot because of his experience, but Buttó picked up right where he left off after a strong end to his 2023 season.
Buttó was impressive this spring, allowing only one earned run in 10 Grapefruit League innings while walking two and striking out nine. This wasn’t exactly the news Butto wanted to hear one day after his 26th birthday, but the Mets made it clear that they expect him to contribute at the big league level this season. He’s added velocity to his fastball, touching 97 this spring. He added a cutter to go along with his slider, changeup and curveball.
What the Mets were most impressed with was his attack mentality. Buttó went right at hitters this spring, unafraid to challenge them. Other pitchers in camp noticed. Edwin Diaz, who shared a locker area with Buttó this spring, saw increased confidence and a different presence on the mound.
“He likes to compete,” Diaz told the Daily News. “When he debuted for us, he was really good. But every single time I see him pitch now, he’s more mature. That’s really good for a pitcher and I’m really happy for him.”
Megill came into camp already in early-season form. He worked diligently over the winter not only to add pitches but to be able to sequence them as well. Last season, he struggled to maintain velocity throughout his outings, so this year, he’s focusing less on adding velocity and pitching in a way that allows him to maintain it.
Megill has allowed six earned runs over 15 2/3 innings this spring, with a 1.021 WHIP.
“He showed up in a really good shape. He was already throwing live BP. Credit to him for the way he approached offseason and how he prepared,” Mendoza said. “He was working on more pitches and all that, but he came ready to go. Just like Buttó did too. And then the outings, the way he threw the baseball, how he was bouncing back. This is a guy who has done it and he’s got a little bit more experienced than Buttó.
“We decided to go that route.”
Megill made the team out of camp the last two years but struggled to stick in the major leagues, typically falling off after April. In 2022, there were injuries. Last year, he had command issues. But his pitch arsenal is now much deeper, his mechanics are sound and the Mets think he’s primed for a big year.
Buttó may not be in Syracuse for long. The Mets tentatively plan to use a six-man rotation through parts of April and May. They have three stretches of 13 games without an off day over the first two months. Mendoza said Buttó, who has minor league options, will likely be the sixth man.
The Mets want him to continue building up to start, but they also like that he can pitch out of the bullpen. The team struggled without a long reliever early last year and sees Buttó or left-hander Joey Lucchesi as candidates to fill that role.
“If we need to [use him out of the bullpen], then yeah, but we’ve got a lot of depth there and it’s important for him to go down [to Triple-A] and get his pitch count up,” Mendoza said. “So right now we see him as a starter, but down the road, if we need something and he’s going to be able to provide length, I’m pretty sure his name will come up as well.”
The Mets also reassigned catcher Hayden Senger to minor league camp to cut the camp roster to 36. Senga and Max Kranick will start the season on the injured list. David Peterson and Ronny Mauricio are already on the 60-day IL.
