WASHINGTON — Noah Syndergaard is finally getting the kind of results the Mets expected all along, but has it come too late for this season?
The team’s top pitching prospect is scheduled to take the ball for Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday, having excelled so much in his last three starts, there is some sentiment within the organization to promote him to the major leagues should he dominate in this upcoming appearance.
But the reality of the situation is the Mets don’t have room for the 21-year-old right-hander on the major league roster.
With Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, Bartolo Colon, Dillon Gee and Jon Niese entrenched in the rotation and club officials hesitant to have Syndergaard begin his major league career in the bullpen, it could mean waiting until 2015 to promote the fireballer.
Before the Mets faced the Nationals on Wednesday, general manager Sandy Alderson said he’s taking a wait-and-see approach with Syndergaard and Rafael Montero.
The latter pitched a one-hitter over eight innings for Las Vegas on Tuesday and has not allowed a run over his last two starts, spanning 14 ²/₃ innings.
“I’m not really speculating about what we’re going to do a month from now, in terms of bringing [Syndergaard] up or Montero or what have you,” Alderson said. “We’ll see what happens here and see how they continue to perform.”
Alderson called it “unlikely” Syndergaard would pitch from the bullpen.
The Mets wanted to deal Colon before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, but couldn’t find a taker on the $11 million the veteran righty is owed for next season, according to an industry source. Unless the Mets can make a waiver deal involving a starting pitcher or an injury were to occur, the rotation is full.
Overall, Syndergaard is 8-5 with a 4.85 ERA in 20 starts for Las Vegas. But over his last three starts, he has pitched to a 0.52 ERA with 20 strikeouts and five walks in 17 ¹/₃ innings.
“His demeanor has changed,” said an organizational source. “It’s almost like he’s on a mission again. He’s just biding time.”
After a spring training in which he wowed team officials with his 98-mph heat and “hook from hell” curveball, it was expected Syndergaard would arrive to the Mets at some point after the cutoff for Super-2 arbitration eligibility. But Syndergaard battled early inconsistency and then survived two injury scares that cost him starts.
Syndergaard dealt with elbow tightness in May and underwent an MRI exam that showed no structural damage. Shortly after, he jammed his left shoulder in a collision while covering home plate.
Syndergaard’s innings limit will be in the 150-155 range, according to Alderson. As it stands, Syndergaard has thrown 102 innings this season.
Alderson has no explanation for Syndergaard’s recent surge, but is happy with his progress.
“When a guy doesn’t have good outings from time to time you can speculate about what the reason is,” Alderson said. “Right now, as far as we’re concerned, he’s right on track.”