Nolan

McLean

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters Megill, who was set to take the ball on Friday against the Phillies, will miss at least 4-5 weeks, even in a best-case scenario. The 29-year-old righty told reporters that he isn’t dealing with any structural damage in his elbow and expects to re-start a throwing program within the next week or two once the inflammation subsides. He was tagged for six runs — three earned — over 3 2/3 innings in his last start on Saturday against the Rays. There’s no shortage of intriguing pitching prospects at Triple-A to fill the vacant rotation spot including Nolan McLean, Blade Tidwell or Brandon Sproat. The wild card is sensation Jonah Tong, but he’s still in Double-A. It’ll likely be a short-term stopgap with veterans Frankie Montas (lat) and Sean Manaea (oblique) getting close to returning for their respective season debuts.

McLean turned in an extremely impressive Triple-A debut with his four-seam, cutter and sweeper mix generated 10 swinging strikes and he recorded an elite 36 percent CSW. The 23-year-old former third-round pick is one of the fastest-rising pitching prospects in the fantasy landscape this season, reaching the doorstep of the majors after posting a 1.37 ERA and 30/12 K/BB ratio across 26 1/3 innings (five starts) to open the year at Double-A Binghamton. The sweeper is a true above-average offering and gives him a real shot at success in the majors. There’s a chance he’s ready to pitch in New York at some point in the second half.

McLean is the fifth-ranked prospect in the Mets system, according to Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. The 23-year-old pitched 26 1/3 innings with Double-A Binghamton and posted a 1.37 ERA with 30 strikeouts. He has a deep arsenal, led by his sweeper, and could emerge onto mid-season Top 100 lists with continued strong performance at Syracuse.

No word yet on Griffin’s potential replacement. Mets top pitching prospects Brandon Sproat, Blade Tidwell and Nolan McLean all pitched within the past few days in the upper minors, which eliminates them as potential emergency stopgap options. It’ll likely wind up being a bullpen game for the Mets unless they want to have David Peterson take the ball on short rest, which doesn’t seem ideal. Stay tuned.

McLean’s signature sweeper flummoxed hitters in his season debut at the Double-A level as he threw 54 of 70 pitches for strikes and scattered three hits over four strong frames. The 23-year-old righty entered the year as a borderline top-100 prospect by Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. He should be on dynasty radar screens as an early-season pickup if he’s still out there.