May 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher David Peterson (23) pitches in the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
David Peterson has the benefit of being on a Mets team whose pitching depth is so shallow that there is no choice but to keep him on the roster.
The 30-year-old struggled once again in a relief role during Monday night’s 12-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, allowing a three-run home run to JJ Bleday in the eighth inning of an already unwinnable game.
His rough night comes on the heels of another bad de-facto start, when he piggybacked off an opener on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing six runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings of work.
Through 15 appearances this season, his ERA sits at 5.91, and there appears to be no safe place to put him. Yet, necessity has kept him on the fringes of this roster.
Injuries have sapped the Mets’ rotation to the point that Kodai Senga, who has been out since April 28 and has been shellacked for the majority of this season, was given the ball for Tuesday night in Cincinnati. Clay Holmes is out for the long haul with a broken leg and Christian Scott just landed on the IL with a hip impingement.
That has left the Mets with Freddy Peralta and Nolan McLean as the only viable starters. They were forced to throw in Sean Manaea, who began the year as a reliever, into the rotation on Saturday and he delivered a quality start, going six innings, which is a promising development.
But it still leaves manager Carlos Mendoza piecing together a stable of starters in an attempt to keep things afloat amidst a ship that has been sinking steadily since April.
“Guys will continue to get opportunities, and guys will need to step up,” Mendoza said. “We got a lot of guys in there that are more than capable. And we need those guys to step up, especially right now when we’re banged up.”
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