Mets recall Logan Verrett, place Jon Niese on paternity leave

The Mest have placed Jon Niese on paternity leave and recalled Logan Verrett from Triple-A Las Vegas to fill his spot on the roster. Niese pitched last night and struggled before heading out as his wife gave birth to their son.

Lost in the Rule 5 draft in December, Verrett was taken by the Baltimore Orioles at that time. They put him on waivers, and the Texas Rangers claimed him. Verrett made his major league debut for Texas, but he struggled in nine innings there with a 6.00 ERA and 5.17 FIP. But once the Mets got him back and promoted him to their bullpen, he pitched 12.1 innings with a 0.73 ERA. He was optioned to the minors when Jenrry Mejia was reinstated from the restricted list after the completion of his 80-game PED suspension.

Since going back to the minors, Verrett pitched as a starter. He threw five scoreless innings in his first appearance back with Vegas and gave up three runs over five innings in his second. In the short term, he figures to pitch in relief for the Mets, but he still seems to be one of the team's options for spot starts if they choose to use them again in the coming weeks.