The New York Mets' retooling of their starting rotation will feature one of their young arms returning to the major leagues.
It was first reported by Will Sammon of The Athletic that the Mets are recalling Zach Thornton from Triple-A Syracuse and plan to have him start on Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies.
This move comes after New York traded David Peterson to the Chicago Cubs late last night, opening up a spot in their depleted rotation.
Thornton, who is ranked as the Mets' No. 12 prospect, made his major league debut on May 20 against the Washington Nationals. The lefty lasted just 4.1 innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits, a home run and two walks with three strikeouts in what ended up being an 8-4 loss for the Mets. Thornton was optioned back to Triple-A soon thereafter.
It's been no secret that the Mets' rotation has been one of Major League Baseball's worst over the last several weeks. Along with trading Peterson, the Amazins' also moved the struggling Kodai Senga to the bullpen, who has a dismal 10.08 ERA in seven starts this season.
The Mets' current starters in their rotation consist of Sean Manaea, who has a 4.87 ERA in 17 appearances, Nolan McLean, who has a 4.03 ERA through 16 starts, and Freddy Peralta, who has a 4.83 ERA in 16 starts as well.
New York, however, is expected to get Christian Scott back this weekend after a brief stint on the injured list with a hip impingement.
It remains unclear how much of a leash Thornton will get this time around in the major leagues, but the Mets will certainly hope that they 24-year-old can provide some sort of spark for a pitching staff that has been outscored 50-19 during this five-game losing streak.
