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Following his four-inning, 73-pitch appearance in the Mets’ lopsided loss to the Braves last night, Corey Oswalt has been optioned to the team’s alternate site. That new phrase refers to a major league team’s ongoing site for players who are in this year’s 60-player pool but are not on the active roster, and in the Mets’ case specifically, MCU Park in Brooklyn.
After Rick Porcello got rocked in two-plus innings of work, Oswalt fared only slightly better, allowing five runs, all earned, over his four innings of work. He struck out three and walked one, but he allowed three home runs.
The Mets haven’t announced a corresponding move yet, though given the fact that they went heavy with position players on their 30-man roster to start this season, they’ll presumably replace Oswalt with another pitcher. Since any player added to the active roster would have to be on the team’s 40-man roster and Michael Wacha is starting the series opener at Fenway Park tonight, one of these guys could get the call: Tyler Bashlor, Franklyn Kilome, Jordan Humphreys, Thomas Szapucki, or Daniel Zamora. While both Brad Brach and Jared Hughes reported to Mets summer camp over the weekend, it didn’t sound like either one would be ready to join the active roster this quickly.
If the Mets were to add a pitcher who is in their player pool but not on the 40-man roster—Matt Blackham, Ryley Gilliam, David Peterson, Erasmo Ramirez, or Kevin Smith—they would have to remove someone from the 40-man roster in order to do so. It’s also worth noting that the team’s 40-man roster has 42 players on it right now, per the team’s website, even after excluding Noah Syndergaard, who doesn’t count against the limit since he’s on the 45-day injured list—the 2020 equivalent of the 60-day injured list.
Last but not least, the team has yet to announce who will start its fifth game of the season on Tuesday night. Oswalt had been seen as a candidate to do so but obviously will not. Peterson and Ramirez could be options for that spot, or the team might try a full bullpen game.