Jerry Manuel called on two relievers to work against the Marlins in last night’s seventh inning, and neither of them was Jennry Mejia, the 20-year-old whom the Mets manager designated before the game as one of his seventh-inning guys.
But then, even if Manuel made the right moves by calling on Pedro Feliciano and Elmer Dessens to protect a 4-3 lead and get the ball to Francisco Rodriguez to save it, confusion regarding Mejia’s status is nothing new.
And neither is Mets management’s indecipherable approach to a significant matter.
Before the victory that improved the Mets’ home record to 20-9 overall and 16-4 over the last 20 games at Citi Field, Manuel said that Mejia’s role “is a constant part of the conversation” within the organization.
In one sense, that’s preferable to a rush to judgment that might produce a flawed conclusion. Yet, months of internal conversation among the front office decision-makers (How’s that for an oxymoronic concept? Nothing personal, owner Jeff Wilpon, general manager Omar Minaya and Jerry.) has yielded at least the temporary finding that this talented young right arm belongs in the big league bullpen as a seventh-inning option rather than in the minor leagues building that arm as a starter.
“This is a young man we think has unlimited potential,” Manuel said. “There are always questions and thoughts and ideas about what might fit best for him and what fits best for us trying to win a championship.
“It’s ongoing.”
It’s the first week of June and Mejia has pitched a total of 23 innings. It’s anybody’s guess how he’s going to get enough work so that he can stretch out his innings count as a starter next season. At least in 2007, the Yankees did get those six weeks out of Joba Chamberlain as the bridge to Mariano Rivera down the stretch.
And if Texas is keeping 22-year-old Neftali Feliz in the major league bullpen instead of allowing him to develop as a starter in the minors, at least Nolan Ryan’s Rangers are using him as their closer.
There always is a push-and-pull in pro sports between what’s best for the present and what’s beneficial for the future. Organizations understand that it often is necessary to take one step back in order to take two forward. But then, the Mets have been going backward pretty much since the final 17 games of 2007, and neither Manuel nor Minaya has any sort of guarantee he’ll be here for that future.
“I am comfortable [with Mejia] developing here,” Minaya said. “He’s developing well.”
The Mets will be forced to make a roster move when Jonathan Niese comes off the disabled list to start this afternoon. Maybe this deadline will finally force a decision on how to proceed with Oliver Perez, whose refusal to accept an assignment to the minors has created quite a stir.
Minaya yesterday denied a published report that the Mets had rejected the Perez camp’s request to place him on the DL so he could consult a psychiatrist or sports psychologist, but the GM was careful with his words.
“That was never presented to me,” Minaya said, without then explaining why the Mets wouldn’t present Perez with that option. “We’ll see where [the Perez situation] goes. We’ll see what happens.”
Maybe the Mets might want to make something happen.
Nah.
larry.brooks@nypost.com