NEW YORK -- For the second time this season, the Mets are bumping David Peterson from their rotation.
Peterson will be available out of the bullpen beginning Sunday, manager Carlos Mendoza said, with Sean Manaea moving into the rotation to replace him. Manaea could make his first start of the season Monday in Seattle or serve as a bulk reliever behind an opener, as Peterson had been doing before his demotion.
In either case, the Mets will rely on Manaea rather than Peterson for significant innings every five days.
“Obviously, he understands the situation,” Mendoza said of Peterson. “It’s what’s best for the team right now. But I also told him it’s an important role. We’re going to need him. And this is something that will continue to be fluid. The performance matters here, too. If he throws the ball well, the way he’s capable of, he’s going to continue to get opportunities.”
An All-Star last season, Peterson ended the year on a sour note, producing an 8.42 ERA with 22 walks over his final 41 2/3 innings. Those inconsistencies continued into 2026, as Peterson posted a 6.41 ERA over his first four starts, prompting the Mets to try him out behind an opener. In late April, the Mets briefly demoted Peterson into a more ambiguous bullpen role, calling up Christian Scott to replace him in the rotation. But a poor debut for Scott gave Peterson another chance in bulk relief, and Kodai Senga’s subsequent injury reopened a spot for him once every five days.
For a time, that arrangement worked; Peterson produced a 2.50 ERA over four outings at the start of May. But after the left-hander blew up for six runs on 11 hits Tuesday against the Reds, and Manaea pitched well behind him in relief, team officials met to re-evaluate the situation. They informed Peterson on Friday that he was being demoted.
He could occupy any number of roles out of the bullpen, including bulk innings or even high-leverage chances.
“He’s still a very good pitcher, and we’ve seen that,” Mendoza said of Peterson, who will become a free agent for the first time in his career after this season. “We’re going to need this guy. He’s too good of a pitcher, and he’s got to figure it out.”
In the end, Manaea’s brief run of success forced the Mets’ hand. One of the team’s top six starters heading into Spring Training, Manaea struggled with his velocity in camp and began the year pitching out of the bullpen. He struggled there as well, holding a 6.85 ERA as recently as the morning of May 10. But since that time, Manaea has produced a 3.09 ERA over 11 2/3 innings spanning four appearances. Team officials have been pleased with the improved quality of Manaea’s stuff, as well as his ability to retire both left- and right-handed batters with consistency.
For now, the Mets will proceed with a rotation of Freddy Peralta, Scott, Nolan McLean, Manaea and Jonah Tong, with Manaea and Tong potentially pitching behind openers. Senga, who is recovering from a back injury, could become an option next month, but he first must prove effective on a Minor League rehab assignment. Other than that, the Mets don’t feature much depth beyond Peterson. Their top options in the Minors, No. 5 prospect Jack Wenninger and No. 13 prospect Zach Thornton, have both struggled in recent outings.
“Managing a rotation like this doesn’t bother me,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “I think most teams over the course of a season go through stages where you’ve got some injuries, and you’ve got to get through it. And that’s where we are. We’ve got to get through it. I think we have the depth and ability to get through it. Going to openers or modified bullpen days, that’s pretty common around the industry right now. And I think we have the ability to do that.”