Mets activate Christian Scott to start vs. Phillies

This start was a perfect microcosm for who Scott is as a pitcher right now. His fastball was electric at the top of the zone and forced eight of his 13 total swings-and-misses. Also, his sweeper was highly effective against right-handed batters. On the flip side, he allowed two home runs to left-handed batters and struggled to put them away. His cutter was effective against them though, which is something to watch moving forward as he tries to find a reliable weapon against lefties. On the season, he has a 3.49 ERA with 60 strikeouts and 25 walks through 49 innings. He’s scheduled to face the Royals next time out in his last start of the first half.

Scott pitched well in his first start back from the injured list after missing the last two weeks with a hip injury. The only blemish was a two-run homer by Bryce Harper in the third inning. Scott would pitch into the fifth, leaving with one out at 82 pitches. It was the sixth time in ten starts that Scott failed to complete five innings. The 27-year-old right-hander will take a 3.20 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and a 53/21 K/BB ratio across 45 innings into a start against the Braves in Atlanta on Friday.

Scott is eligible to come off the injured list on Saturday, which would bump Kodai Senga back a couple days or out of New York’s rotation entirely. It’ll be David Peterson handling Friday’s series opener. The 27-year-old will wind up missing only a pair of starts after hitting the injured list with a hip impingement earlier this month. He had allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight consecutive starts prior to being tagged for four runs over 4 2/3 innings by the Cardinals during his last start before landing on the shelf. He boasts a strong 3.10 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 47/19 K/BB ratio across 40 2/3 innings this season. He’s a decent streaming option for fantasy managers in deeper formats where he may have been dropped.

Scott is eligible to come off the injured list next Saturday and might return to the Mets rotation then after missing only two starts.

The issue is believed to be relatively minor, according to The New York Post’s Jon Heyman. However, it’ll keep Scott sidelined until at least late June in a best-case scenario. The 27-year-old righty had allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight consecutive starts prior to being tagged for four runs over 4 2/3 innings by the Cardinals during his last start. He holds a respectable 3.10 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 47/19 K/BB ratio across 40 2/3 innings this season. It’ll be Tobias Myers taking his spot in New York’s rotation for now.

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman says it’s a hip issue, and it’s supposed to be relatively minor. Jonah Tong could be recalled to fill in for him. Kodai Senga was expected to make another rehab start, but he could be activated early.

Scott gave up homers to Alec Burleson in the first and Lars Noobaar and Jimmy Crooks in the second to account for all of the runs. He was effective afterwards, but the Mets didn’t let him face Nootbaar, who had also doubled, for a third time with two on in the fifth. Scott had allowed just one homer in eight starts this season, but that wasn’t going to continue from a guy with a 27 percent groundball rate. He still projects to be pretty useful in mixed leagues, even if he’s more help in strikeouts and WHIP than in ERA going forward. He’ll face the Reds next week.

It sounds like the Mets want to give Scott some extra rest before he takes the ball again during Thursday’s series finale. The 26-year-old was excellent his last time out, holding San Diego scoreless over 5 2/3 innings. It’ll be Austin Warren kicking off a bullpen game against St. Louis on Wednesday.

Scott was outstanding on Friday, holding the Padres scoreless into the sixth. He scattered three hits and two walks, striking out three batters before leaving with two outs in the sixth at 98 pitches. The 26-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 2.50 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and a 41/18 K/BB ratio across 36 innings. Scott will look to keep things rolling in a start against the Cardinals in New York on Thursday.

Scott had another excellent outing on Saturday, keeping the Marlins off the board over four innings before giving up one run on a walk and a hit in the fifth. He’d complete the fifth inning at 96 pitches while matching a season-high with eight strikeouts. The 26-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 2.97 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and a 38/16 K/BB ratio across 30 1/3 innings. He’ll look to keep it going against the Padres in San Diego on Friday.