ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jenrry Mejia is ever so close to heading north with the Mets.
The rookie sensation last night avoided a wave of Mets’ roster cuts and appears to have a spot in the team’s bullpen. This after the Mets announced that Bobby Parnell, Kiko Calero and Nelson Figueroa won’t be on the Opening Day roster — leaving the team with eight relievers for seven spots.
First baseman Chris Carter also was sent out, allowing Smithtown native Frank Catalanotto to claim the final spot on the Mets’ bench.
Mejia pitched an inning and allowed two unearned runs in the Mets’ 4-2 exhibition loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field. The Mets have one more bullpen decision to make today, with it likely that lefty specialist Raul Valdes will be the final cut — though Sean Green’s roster spot still could be in jeopardy.
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Francisco Rodriguez, Pedro Feliciano, Ryota Igarashi, Hisanori Takahashi, Fernando Nieve and Mejia would round out the bullpen with either Green or Valdes.
None of last night’s cuts could be considered a surprise. Parnell, after a strong 2½ months last season, struggled in the second half of 2009 and never got rolling this spring, allowing 20 hits over 13 2/3 innings while posting a 4.61 ERA.
“We like Bobby Parnell a lot,” general manager Omar Minaya said. “Sometimes you have a situation where you have to go work on a certain pitch. But we expect Bobby Parnell to be a part of this.”
Calero arrived 2½ weeks after the start of camp and struggled. The former Marlins reliever was signed to a minor-league contract and will be on standby at Triple-A Buffalo if and when the Mets have an opening.
Maybe the toughest cut for Minaya was the popular Figueroa, who pitched effectively in four of his five appearances this spring. But the Mets also have Nieve and Takahashi to fill the long relief/spot starter’s role.
It is still unclear who will begin the season in the eighth-inning role, even with Mejia all but on the roster. Manager Jerry Manuel has said he won’t immediately thrust the 20-year-old fireballer into the setup role, meaning it could be eighth inning by committee for the season’s first few weeks.
There was some thought Mejia might return to the minor leagues and remain a starter, giving the Mets insurance for their rotation. But it is also hard for the team to overlook the right-hander’s 1.59 ERA in 11 appearances this spring.
What the Mets need now — a dependable bridge to K-Rod — could be overshadowed by a hole in the starting rotation should an injury occur.
“What happens, happens — that’s it,” Mejia said. “I know a lot of people know about me, but I have to do my job. You have to forget about the situation.”
The Mets love Igarashi’s stuff, but aren’t thrilled with his 8.53 ERA. Nevertheless, given the fact the Mets committed $3 million over the next two seasons to the Japanese right-hander, he will make the team.
Nieve, who competed for the fifth spot in the rotation with Jon Niese, is out of options and would have to clear waivers if the Mets wanted him in the minors.
Both Minaya and Manuel like Nieve’s arm and have hinted that the right-hander could be in the mix for eighth-inning duty.
“I think I’ve been doing the job they were expecting from me,” Nieve said. “I feel good about everything. My leg and my arm are healthy, so everything else is up to me.”