The Mets announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Chris Devenski. Fellow righty Xzavion Curry has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man spot, infielder Jorge Polanco has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. It was reported last week that Polanco would be undergoing season-ending surgery, so his transfer is not a surprise.
Devenski, 25, signed a minor league deal with the Mets earlier this month after losing his roster spot with the Pirates. He only made three appearances with Pittsburgh this year, allowing two earned runs in 2 1/3 innings. He has thrown 24 minor league innings this year with a 1.13 earned run average. There is some good luck in there but his 34.4% strikeout rate is huge, while his 7.5% walk rate is also better than average.
It’s been a long time since Devenski has shown that kind of form at the big league level. His best seasons were with the Astros about a decade ago. He tossed 189 innings over 2016 and 2017 with a 2.38 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. Since then, he has bounced around the league and posted a 5.20 ERA with a 23.1% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate in 230 innings.
The Mets might just want a fresh arm. They had an open 40-man spot due to Polanco being done for the season. In last night’s game, Curry tossed 2 1/3 innings of relief behind starter Sean Manaea, throwing 46 pitches in the process. He was probably going to be unavailable for a day or two after that. Rather than start tonight’s game short-handed, the Mets have brought up the veteran Devenski. If they want to make more moves to bring in fresh arms in the future, Devenski can’t be optioned without his consent since he has at least five years of big league service time.
Photo courtesy of Philip G. Pavely, Imagn Images
