Mets Place Most Consistent Reliever on IL in Big Bullpen Loss

The Mets have even more work to do with the bullpen with this key cog sidelined.

[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] June 9, 2024; London, UNITED KINGDOM; New York Mets pitcher Dedniel Nunez throws against the Philadelphia Phillies during a London Series baseball game at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Childs/Reuters via USA TODAY Sports / Matthew Childs/Reuters via USA TODAY

The New York Mets' bullpen took a massive hit on Friday.

In a flurry of roster moves that included the reinstatement of ace Kodai Senga, stud right-handed reliever Dedniel Nunez was placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Wednesday) with a right pronator strain.

Additional movement in the bullpen included the promotion of fellow righty Eric Orze from the Triple-A Syracuse Mets, while both Adrian Houser and Shintaro Fujinami were designated for assignment (with the latter also being activated from the IL).

RHP Kodai Senga has been reinstated from the IL.

RHP Adrian Houser has been designated for assignment.

RHP Dedniel Núñez has been placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to July 24, with a right pronator strain.

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 26, 2024

The loss of Nunez, a 28-year-old rookie, is absolutely massive; in just 33.1 innings, he has the highest fWAR among the Mets' relief pitchers at 0.8 (tied with Jose Butto, who made seven starts) and the third highest fWAR among all the team's pitchers (behind only Luis Severino and Sean Manaea). Making his MLB debut on April 9, Nunez boasts an impressive 2.43 ERA, 2.33 FIP, and 0.93 WHIP, and possesses the elite ability to throw nasty pitches for strikes. With great command on both his mid-90s fastball and high-velocity slider, he has 45 strikeouts against just eight walks; this projects to 12.15 K/9 and 2.16 BB/9.

Because of this combination of strikeout stuff and control, Nunez has thrived as a high-leverage reliever and filled in brilliantly for Reed Garrett as the Mets' setup man over the past two weeks. With Garrett still injured, New York now lacks a reliable arm to pitch the seventh and eighth innings.

Meanwhile, the Mets have cut their losses with Adrian Houser, who struggled immensely in the starting rotation before being demoted to the bullpen. He has shown improvement since becoming a reliever, with a 3.41 ERA and 4.53 FIP in his last 14 appearances, but with a -0.2 fWAR on the season, extremely poor pitching peripherals (only 45 strikeouts and 32 walks), and a 9.00 ERA in his last five appearances, this is an addition by subtraction for New York.

Finally, the decision to DFA Fujinami was due to a brutal stint in Triple-A. The 30-year-old former Japanese star hadn't pitched in the big leagues this year due to a right shoulder strain, but has a devastating pitching arsenal that would make him attractive to any big-league club. However, his 14 games with Triple-A Syracuse have been a disaster; he has a 10.95 ERA in 12.1 innings pitched, with an astounding 25 walks against only 14 strikeouts.

The Mets' brilliant stretch over the past two months have put them just one game behind the Atlanta Braves for the first Wild Card spot in the National League, although they are battling four other teams for two additional spots as well. With the postseason within the team's grasp, they are expected to buy at the deadline with a primary focus on the bullpen.

But with Nunez, the team's most reliable reliever out, the need for bullpen arms has become even more imperative.

Update:

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza shared a positive update about Nunez prior to New York's Friday night matchup with the Braves. According to Mendoza, Nunez's strain is minor and his stint on the IL should be a short one. The ligaments in his elbow and forearm are all intact as well. Mendoza called it "good news" for the Mets.