Manaea's improved velocity earns him a return to Mets' rotation

NEW YORK -- At the start of this season, Sean Manaea struggled to crack 90 mph. That’s a problem in today’s game -- in Manaea’s case, so much of a problem that Mets officials decided not to include him in their Opening Day rotation despite his solid track record and $75 million contract.

All the while, Manaea insisted that he could get by with diminished velocity. Mets coaches expressed confidence that the miles per hour would return.

Turns out everyone was right.

Although Manaea’s efforts went for naught in a 3-1 loss to the Braves at Citi Field on Saturday, he averaged more than 91 mph on his four-seamer for the fifth time this season. All five of those games have occurred over the last five weeks.

“That’s the guy we saw a lot in 2024,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.

In this one, Manaea allowed little more than a homer and an RBI double to Eli White over six innings. But it wasn’t enough for the Mets, who accomplished next to nothing against Braves starter Martín Pérez and four relievers.

That Manaea even started the game was a testament to the Mets’ restored faith in him. Since the team moved Manaea back into a bulk role in mid-May, club officials have exclusively used him behind an opener -- a strategy they’ve also tried with David Peterson and Jonah Tong, two traditional starters who have struggled to avoid early damage. But Manaea has apparently graduated out of that role. Rather than use him behind a reliever like Austin Warren, who was rested and available on Saturday, the Mets gave Manaea the ball from the jump for the first time this season.

“He earned it,” Mendoza said before the game. “He continues to put himself in a position where days like today, it was an easy call for us.”

Manaea rewarded his manager’s faith by retiring the first three batters he faced and holding the top third of Atlanta’s order to a 1-for-9 performance. The trouble came mostly from White, whose three-hit game also included a double off Warren in the seventh.

Unsurprisingly, Mendoza plans to continue starting Manaea without using an opener in front of him.

Throughout the afternoon, Manaea said he featured increased “hip-shoulder” separation, which allows him to generate more torque and, ultimately, velocity on his pitches. His ERA over his last seven appearances is 3.04, after posting a 6.85 mark through his first eight outings.

“It feels really good,” Manaea said. “I’ve put in a lot of work with the coaches here, the staff. It feels good just to put in some hard work and have a game like tonight.”

Despite the loss, Manaea’s revival was encouraging for a Mets team that needs starting pitching. Clay Holmes, who is recovering from a fractured right fibula, isn’t likely to return until August. While the Mets can hope for better days ahead for Freddy Peralta and Nolan McLean, they don’t have any prospects in the Minors currently clamoring for promotions, and outside help doesn’t seem likely at this juncture. For those reasons, rotation-wide improvement isn’t likely to occur without significant contributions from some combination of Manaea, Peterson and Kodai Senga.

All three of those veterans have experienced success in the past.

“I’ve been saying it -- not only with Sean, but guys like Peterson, guys like Kodai Senga,” Mendoza said. “In order for us to get to where we want to get, be able to turn this thing around, we need those guys.”

Peterson should receive another chance in bulk relief next week. Senga, who’s rehabbing from both lumbar spine inflammation and a bout of ulnar nerve discomfort in his pitching arm, will need to show more in the Minors before the Mets consider activating him.

The only pitcher from that group succeeding more often than not is Manaea.

“That’s the guy that we’re going to need moving forward here,” Mendoza said. “For him to go out there and give us a chance, he was pretty solid today against a pretty good lineup.”