Jenrry Mejia has become an almost forgotten man in the Mets organization, but will emerge from hiding on Friday.
The 23-year-old righty, who has spent most of this season rehabbing a sore right elbow, was selected Tuesday to pitch Game 1 of Friday’s doubleheader in Washington. The nightcap will belong to Matt Harvey.
Chris Schwinden and Jacob deGrom were the other candidates in consideration for the spot that went to Mejia, who is expected to be added to the taxi squad and returned to the minors following his start.
In two starts at Double-A Binghamton, Mejia is 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA. The fact he is already on the 40-man roster made it an easier decision for the Mets.
“He’s throwing great, he struck out eight the other night, he’s a roster guy and ready to pitch,” manager Terry Collins said before the Mets beat the Braves 4-1 Tuesday night. “[But] it’s a long way from Binghamton to D.C.”
Mejia was a September call-up for the Mets last year in his comeback from Tommy John surgery in 2011.
“He is still young,” Collins said. “One of the things we certainly wanted him to understand, what he’s hearing today about [Zack] Wheeler, about Harvey, was all about Jenrry Mejia three years ago, in the same vein: The sky is the limit, plus stuff, power arm and he’s still only 23 years old.”
* Wheeler developed a blister during his Saturday start, but still will receive the ball tomorrow against the Braves, as scheduled. Collins had toyed with the idea of giving Wheeler extra rest because of the blister.
“It’s cleaned up, today it looks great, so we’re not going to skip him,” Collins said. “A lot of times in this kind of weather, when it’s hot and humid, your skin softens up and you’re going to get these little things that pop up.”
* The Mets released Shaun Marcum, who underwent surgery last week for thoracic outlet syndrome, assured he won’t pitch again this season. By releasing Marcum instead of keeping him on the disabled list, the Mets can save about $1 million in roster bonuses he would have received. Marcum’s contract was for $4 million guaranteed plus bonuses.
* Ruben Tejada entered Tuesday night batting .315 in 18 games at Triple-A Las Vegas, but has not shown enough yet to warrant a promotion to the major leagues, according to Collins.
“He’s getting the ball out of the air a little bit more, but not to the satisfaction of people who are watching him,” Collins said.
“We’ve been told that if we need him he’s ready to come up and play. Sometimes when you take that next step, the motivation is a little bit higher that you don’t want to go back and maybe you get the kind of player that we’ve seen in the last couple of years.”
Mets minor leaguer Alex Machillanda was arrested in Port St. Lucie, Fla., for felony shoplifting and battery, among other charges.
Machillanda is accused of stealing clothes from a department store, punching a store officer who confronted him and slamming the officer’s head to the concrete. Machillanda, a 21-year-old catcher, has played in eight games for the Gulf Coast League Mets this season.