The New York Mets are in a tough spot. Monday’s 6-3 loss to the Braves wasn’t just another L-it marked their ninth defeat in 10 games and pushed them further down the NL East standings. Now trailing thePhillies by 1.5 games, the Mets are desperate to find some kind of spark before June does even more damage.
But instead of sticking with a safer option, New York made a surprising move ahead of Tuesday night’s game that’s got fans everywhere scratching their heads-and lighting up social media.
The Mets announced that Frankie Montas would be activated from the 60-day injured list and make his first start of the season against Atlanta. That would be a bold enough move on its own, but it’s Montas’ recent numbers that really raised eyebrows. In four rehab starts at Triple-A Syracuse, he gave up eight home runs and posted a brutal 13.19 ERA across 14.1 innings.
That’s the guy they’re throwing against one of the most dangerous offenses in baseball?
Mets Fans Sound Off: “Is This a Joke?”
Online reactions were swift and brutal. “Montas is about to get absolutely destroyed,” one fan wrote on X. “There has to be someone else in the minors who’s ready to go. C’mon,” another chimed in.
The criticism isn’t coming from nowhere. Montas struggled to stay healthy last year and has yet to throw a pitch in the majors this season. While he had moments of competence with the Brewers in 2023, the drop in velocity during his rehab outings-first reported by MLB.com-only adds to the unease.
Still, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza stood by the call. “Frankie’s been through big games before,” he told reporters pregame, per The Athletic. “We know he hasn’t had the cleanest rehab numbers, but we like where his stuff is trending.”
Now, with the season slipping and fan patience wearing thin, the Mets are banking on Montas to flip the script-and silence the critics in the process.
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