MONTREAL — Jenrry Mejia’s stay in the Mets rotation may last one start, 10 starts or none at all, but for now he’s got a job.
After the Mets completed their exhibition season on Saturday with a 2-0 loss to the Blue Jays in front of 50,229 at Olympic Stadium, the team re-assigned veteran right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka to Triple-A Las Vegas, putting the 24-year-old Mejia in the rotation.
It came a day after Mejia was struck on the right forearm by a one-hop comebacker, forcing him to depart his start against the Blue Jays in the fifth inning. The right-hander underwent X-rays, which were negative, and expects to be re-evaluated on Sunday by team doctors in New York.
“I think I will be good to pitch [Friday],” said Mejia, who incurred swelling on the forearm.
By choosing Mejia, the Mets will have Matsuzaka as insurance should Jon Niese not be ready to make his initial start of the season on April 6. The left-hander Niese is scheduled to pitch a minor-league exhibition on Tuesday in Port St. Lucie that will determine his readiness for the following Sunday.
If Mejia can’t pitch on Friday, the Mets would have Matsuzaka as Plan B, with John Lannan or Carlos Torres then becoming the backup plan for Niese.
Matsuzaka pitched five shutout innings on Saturday and struck out eight, lowering his ERA to 3.04 over six appearances this spring. He allowed just one run over his last 11-plus innings overall.
“I always knew there was a possibility I would be going to the minors,” Matsuzaka said. “But with what I’ve been doing the last few games, I have confidence in what I am doing. But I am shocked.
“I am disappointed, but I just have to move on from this and go out and pitch.”
Mejia’s case was helped by the fact the Mets would have had to leave him in the minors for at least 10 days if he was optioned to Las Vegas, eliminating his availability to replace Niese, if needed. Niese will start the season on the disabled list, allowing the Mets to carry an extra bench player for the first week.
But Matsuzaka simply could be re-assigned to the minors, and recalled if needed, giving the Mets more flexibility by demoting him to Las Vegas.
It means Mejia could make one start for the Mets — provided the swelling on his forearm doesn’t preclude that — then head to Las Vegas, with Matsuzaka replacing him.
“Certainly the way [Matsuzaka] has pitched made it tough, but there are some circumstances that are beyond all of our control,” manager Terry Collins said. “As I told him, it may be one start, there’s 33 to go, so someone has got to pitch those 33.”
Collins spoke with Matsuzaka just to ensure there were no hard feelings between the pitcher and organization. The Mets signed Matsuzaka before the start of camp to a minor-league deal that allows him to opt out if he isn’t on the major league roster by May 30.
“My background is such that I know how it is in Japan sometimes when you get sent out for no reason,” said Collins, who previously managed in the Japan’s Pacific League.
“I know he’s been through it before. He shouldn’t be happy — he better not be. I am sure he feels it was the wrong decision, and I certainly understand it because he threw the baseball. But as I told him we don’t know what’s going to happen in the next few days, you have got to stay ready and I know he will.”
Mejia went 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in four appearances this spring, showing he has recovered from surgery last August to remove a bone spur from his right elbow.
“He’s got that young power arm,” Collins said. “A great change, great slider.”