Mets option John Curtiss, call up Joey Lucchesi

The Mets have optioned right-handed relief pitcher John Curtiss to Triple-A Syracuse and called up left-handed starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi, who will start tonight in San Francisco.

Signed to a two-year deal early last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, the 30-year-old Curtiss made the Opening Day bullpen without issue. Since then, he’s thrown 10.1 innings out of the Mets’ bullpen over the course of nine appearances, and he has a 4.35 ERA and a 4.69 FIP.

Lucchesi, who is now 29, will be making his first major league appearance since early in the 2021 season with the Mets. He, too, underwent Tommy John surgery, but he never seemed to have a chance at making the team’s Opening Day roster, as the organization saw him as rotation depth. That decision has proven wise, as four of the Mets’ top five starting pitchers are currently injured or suspended, necessitating exactly this type of call-up.