QUEENS — Mets manager Buck Showalter remained unsure of Carlos Carrasco’s future in the starting rotation for the remainder of the 2023 season after yet another disappointing outing on Saturday night.
“Not at this point there hasn’t been,” Showalter said on whether or not a decision has been made about moving him on Sunday morning before his side’s series finale against the Los Angeles Angels. “But we just got here since [Saturday] night… We haven’t gotten there yet.”
The 36-year-old right-hander found a new level of low at Citi Field in the Mets’ 5-3 loss, going a season-low 1.2 innings while allowing all five of Los Angeles’ runs on seven hits.
It’s raised his ERA to 6.80 on the season, which is the highest mark among qualified pitchers in all of baseball.
“I’m just trying to figure out what to do,” Carrasco said on Saturday night. “Something new, something old, trying to bring everything that I can so I can move forward but sometimes, it’s not there.”
Showalter said that he, general manager Billy Eppler, and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner have discussed the state of their rotation, which already is plenty thin.
“As we get into September, I’m sure that’s something we’ll talk about,” he added.
After trading away Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer at the deadline, the Mets have been stuck with Carrasco, David Peterson, and Tylor Megill rounding out the rotation behind Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana. Joey Lucchesi returned from the IL on Aug. 18 to fire 5.2 scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals and would be the prime candidate to slot in for Carrasco on a regular basis should he be able to work up to such a workload after dealing with left-knee tendinitis.
He and Jose Butto are the only other arms with MLB experience that could fill in. There are options in the minor leagues with Mike Vasil — the Mets’ No. 9 ranked prospect — and No. 15-ranked prospect Justin Jarvis currently in Triple-A.
