Mets scratch Griffin Canning. Does this open the door later this week for Brandon Sproat?

New York Times

15-04-2025

MINNEAPOLIS — New York Mets right-hander Griffin Canning will not make his scheduled start on Wednesday afternoon because of an illness. That has thrown New York's rotation plans into further flux for the rest of the week and affects whether the team will call on top pitching prospect Brandon Sproat to make his major-league debut in this weekend's series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Let's explain the conundrum.
What had been the plan?
Before Canning felt sick, the Mets expected to add a sixth starter to their rotation for Friday night's contest against St. Louis. That would keep Canning and David Peterson on regular rest the next two days and give Kodai Senga his extra day of rest between starts. The Mets had three choices at Triple-A Syracuse to call up: Sproat, Justin Hagenman or José Ureña.
What's the plan now for Wednesday?
The Mets haven't settled yet on whether they'll use a traditional starter or a bullpen game for the series finale against the Twins. It depends on how heavily they lean on the pen on Tuesday night. In either case, Sproat and Ureña are both off the table to be recalled for that game because they would be pitching on short rest. Hagenman is penciled in to start Wednesday for Syracuse, so he makes sense to either start for the Mets or serve as length out of the pen.
Brandon Sproat shows off his full repertoire for the Triple-A @SyracuseMets 🧰
The @Mets' top prospect notches 6 K's on four different pitches, while navigating 4 1/3 one-run innings. pic.twitter.com/epRp79BecY
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 13, 2025
What does Jose Siri's injury have to do with this?
Although Siri was diagnosed with a fractured tibia on Monday night, he still hadn't been placed on the injured list Tuesday afternoon, with the Mets opting to play a man short on the bench rather than bringing up another outfielder.
They might play short again on Wednesday. Why?
Because in order to call up a pitcher like Hagenman for Wednesday, the Mets will have to send down a reliever who's been pitching quite well — probably Huascar Brazobán or Max Kranick. And a pitcher that gets sent down to the minors has to spend 15 days there, unless he's recalled to replace a player going to the injured list.
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So, say the Mets call up Hagenman and send down Brazobán for Wednesday's game. They can then bring Brazobán right back for Thursday's game by waiting to place Siri on the IL until then. There would be a corresponding move to call up an outfielder, likely José Azocar, with Hagenman being sent back to Syracuse to balance out the roster.
When will Canning be able to pitch?
That's the other uncertain aspect here. Right now, the Mets believe Canning should be able to pitch no later than Friday, which would allow them to keep the rest of their rotation in order. However, if Canning can't go by then, New York will need to bring up another starter (and perhaps place Canning on the 15-day IL).
That's where Sproat can come into the equation. He's currently slated to start Thursday for Syracuse, so he'd only be on one extra day of rest to go Friday. And especially if Canning needs an IL stint, Sproat would stick in the rotation for more than one start. Like last year with Christian Scott, the Mets are more apt to call up a pitching prospect if there's a longer runway to give him multiple starts.
Even if Sproat doesn't make his debut this week, he's likely to be needed in the majors before long. After this week, the Mets will need a sixth starter again by the first week of May. It would be a surprise if veteran Paul Blackburn is ready for a return by then, so New York will likely be sifting through the same candidates then as now, with the possible addition of prospect Blade Tidwell.
(Photo of Sproat: Jim Rassol / Imagn Images)