Cowtipper

Another headscratcher, but since I love David Stearns and my shrine to Him only grows larger every day, I can only assume this is part of his esoteric and genius 9-D chess to lead us to the Holy Land by the end of the year. We foolish mortals see him as a 30-year-old hitter with a .175 batting average, but his super secret analytics say he's actually a .500 hitter with 95 home run per year potential, we just don't see it because we aren't super smart like David Stearns.

MJ Melendez, who has hit .111 in 72 at-bats since May 7, is ... the ... DH.

In all the hubbub of the offseason, no one noted that 2025 Met Colin Poche found a new team. On February 25, the Detroit Tigers signed Colin, who had a 27,00 ERA in his Mets career (which lasted a single game). But then the Tigers, not knowing the talent they had, released him on April 2. So, there's still hope he could rejoin the Mets yet.

Max Kranick, who underwent elbow surgery partway through 2025, was non-tendered by New York following the campaign. He didn't receive get much attention during the 2025-26 offseason from other teams, however on May 6, the Nationals signed him to a major league deal, with an option for the 2027 campaign. He wasn't a big name, but he was a solid piece of the bullpen in the early going in 2025, posting a 3.65 ERA in 24 games before being shut down. And that's my primary memory of him -- how effective he was despite his lack of pedigree. I also remember thinking the Mets should have brought him back and stored him somewhere in their system, just because he was so effective in 2025. He has made one appearance so far in the minors this season.

It ain't much, but in his first five games away from New York, he has a 2.25 ERA. (His ERA in his first five games with New York was 6.23).

Francisco Lindor: Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that Lindor (calf) could return from the 10-day injured list as soon as Wednesday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports. Lindor is slated to make the third appearance of his rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Syracuse, and if he receives a positive evaluation when he's re-examined following that game, the Mets will likely activate the veteran shortstop. Bo Bichette has been serving as the Mets' primary option at shortstop since a left calf strain forced Lindor to the IL on April 23, but Bichette will shift back to third base on a full-time basis once the five-time All-Star is back in the fold. Injury Calf. Est. Return 6/24/2026. Christian Scott: Scott (hip) is scheduled to throw a simulated game Monday, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports. The 27-year-old right-hander has been dealing with a hip impingement, but is feeling much better after receiving a shot last week. A timeline for Scott's return to the rotation should come into focus after the sim game, but he seems likely to get activated next week. Through nine starts for the Mets this season, Scott's produced a 3.10 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 47:19 K:BB through 40.2 innings. Injury Hip. Est. Return 6/27/2026.

My guy Wyatt Young is hitting just .229/.307/.277 as a 26-year-old in Binghamton :-(.

Well, I mean it's kind of unfair to say anything about Jonah Tong right now as he's only 23, has less than 29 innings of big league experience and is in just his fourth season of pro ball. But how about Calvin Ziegler? Second round pick in 2021 that's played just four pro games since 2023, with just one appearance this year and none last year. I mean, look at what happens to their 'top prospects.' Either they get traded for rentals or don't pan out with the Mets. The following are all top-three picks going back to 2020. PCA and J.T. Ginn were traded for rentals. Ziegler's always hurt. Dom Hamel got into a single game with NY before being disposed of (and he's also struggled at AAA), Kumar Rocker didn't even sign, Kevin Parada is a dud offensively, Jett Williams was traded for what looks to be a rental before ever playing for NY (and is struggling in the minors now), Blade Tidwell was traded for a rental after being given just 15 innings with the Mets, Colin Houck has struggled to a .216 average in the Mets system, Sproat's gone for the same rental as Williams, McLean's done well, Benge has done well, Jonathan Santucci's performed well in the minors but has never pitched above AA, Nate Dohm was traded away, Mitch Voit has struggled since joining the organization, Antonio Jimenez is hitting below .200 since joining the organization, and Peter Kussow is always hurt. It's not just player development, it's the obsessively sticking with certain "top prospects" even after they're long past prospect age while disposing of the rest for oftentimes close to nothing all willy-nilly. The most egregious of recent vintage were Baty/Vientos/Alvarez. They weren't meant to just be solid, they were meant to be anchors with some level of stardom expected of each. Alvarez especially was rated very highly; I wanna say I read that some considered him the top prospect in the game. Which I guess does have to do with player development, because they're myopically focusing on the development of certain players -- desperately hoping to get them past ceilings that they clearly can't get above -- to the expense of other players and team success. I'm still waiting for Gavin Cecchini, Cesar Puello and Lastings Milledge to do something.

Christian Arroyo: Injury Undisclosed. Est. Return 6/26/2026. Mike Baumann: Injury Undisclosed. Est. Return 6/28/2026. Ryan Lambert: Triple-A Syracuse placed Lambert on the 7-day injured list June 4 due to an unspecified injury. Lambert, 23, has struck out one-third of the batters he's faced this season, but a bloated 18.7 percent walk rate played a big part in him submitting an inflated 6.19 ERA and 1.62 over 16 innings at Triple-A. He's without a clear timeline to return to action for Syracuse. Est. Return: Unknown.

Schwarber is going to give the Hall of Fame voters to think about if he keeps going and hits 500+ home runs with a career average under .240. Players like him have a knack for just collapsing, but clearly he's not to that point yet.

I think David Peterson might need to be included in a trade soon.

I noticed Peterson won his 40th career game as a Met this year. He's in fairly exclusive company among Mets pitchers with that total, as less than 30 hurlers in team history have 40+ wins. He's currently tied with Dillon Gee for 28th-most victories as a Met.

Al Worthington died. https://libertyflames.com/news/2026/6/19/baseball-liberty-athletics-mourns-the-loss-of-al-worthington Who was Al Worthington? Al Worthington was a major league pitcher whose career spanned 14 seasons from 1953 to 1969, but his path to success was anything but straightforward. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, he broke into the majors with the New York Giants and made history by throwing shutouts in each of his first two starts. Despite that remarkable debut, he spent much of the 1950s moving between the majors and minor leagues, struggling to establish himself as a consistent big-league pitcher. A turning point came in 1958 when Worthington and his wife became born-again Christians after attending a Billy Graham crusade in San Francisco. His faith became the defining influence in his life and career. Known for his strong convictions, he openly opposed sign-stealing schemes used by teams he played for and even retired from the Chicago White Sox in 1960 rather than continue playing for a club he believed was cheating. After two years in the minors, he returned to the majors with Cincinnati and soon found new life in Minnesota. With the Minnesota Twins, Worthington developed into one of the American League's premier relief pitchers. Armed with a sinking fastball and sharp breaking pitches, he became a key part of the Twins' bullpen during their successful mid-1960s run. His best season came in 1965 when he helped Minnesota win the American League pennant, posting a 2.13 ERA, winning 10 games, and recording a career-high 21 saves. He later led the league in saves in 1968 and finished his career with 110 saves, a 3.39 ERA, and 834 strikeouts. After retiring as a player, Worthington remained devoted to baseball and Christian education. He served as pitching coach for the Twins before helping build Liberty University's baseball program, coaching the team for 13 seasons and later serving as athletic director. The university eventually named its baseball facilities in his honor. Remembered for both his accomplishments on the mound and his unwavering principles, Worthington left a legacy of perseverance, faith, and integrity when he passed away in 2026 at the age of 97.

Francisco Lindor: Lindor (calf) will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Binghamton on Friday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. Lindor has been on the shelf since late April due to a strained left calf, but after resuming full baseball activities last week, he's now been cleared to test his calf in minor-league games. The Mets expect the star shortstop to return to their lineup before the end of the month, so it doesn't seem like he's in line for a lengthy stay in the minors. Injury Calf. Est. Return 6/26/2026. Christian Scott: Scott (hip) threw a bullpen session Saturday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. Scott reportedly didn't have any problems while throwing off a mound for the first time since landing on the injured list Monday with a right hip impingement. The Mets plan to have him throw a couple more mound sessions before activating him around the time he's eligible to return next Saturday. Injury Hip. Est. Return 6/27/2026. Tyrone Taylor: Taylor (hip) will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Binghamton on Friday, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports. Taylor landed on the injured list May 25 with a hip flexor strain but is now set to begin ramping up toward his return to the active roster. However, Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing have both cemented themselves as regular starters in New York's outfield, so Taylor will almost certainly be limited to a bench role once he comes off the IL. Injury Hip. Est. Return 6/25/2026. Syracuse Mets sent LHP Joe Jacques on a rehab assignment to Brooklyn Cyclones. Syracuse Mets sent RHP Robert Stock on a rehab assignment to Brooklyn Cyclones. Syracuse Mets placed RHP José Marte on the full-season injured list.

Lindor to Syracuse for rehab! Taylor to Syracuse for rehab! Mauricio to Syracuse for rehab! They're close to coming back and the Mets will then rise! Also they acquired some fella named Taylor Darden out of indy ball. Minor leaguer Wilson Lopez has been released. They released TT Bowens, who they signed on April 21. He'd hit only .135 in 89 ABs at Double-A.

Mauricio hasn't been given the chance to fail that the others have. He might be the one who is a diamond-in-the-rough. But tick tock tick tock, Ewing and Benge are the new hot commodities with Morabito and others in the minors waiting their turns to really shine, so time is running out for the original Baby Mets.

It's been all downhill since he hit that home run in his first at-bat. Folks must be really desperate to call anything from Baty a meaningful success if they call 2025 a 'breakout.'

He's got the yips, Steve Blass syndrome. I base this on the fact that he forgot how to find the strike zone.

On the bright side, he maintained his tidy 9.00 ERA after his most recent outing. He's also averaging more than a K per frame, so that's a silver lining, I guess.

Mets get Lucky.

I'll piggyback off this and note there is also a song called "Piazza, New York Catcher" by Belle & Sebastian.

It's like this team wants to lose.

Who's at short?

No one votes in them so I was doing my part to help spread the word. I'm not a fan of them because I'm half-German. Oh wait, that's Poles.

Well, there was hope. It got me to actually turn the volume up and not just have it in the background.