While the Mets haven’t conveyed that Paul Blackburn will join the starting rotation once he fully recovers from knee inflammation, the veteran right-hander is still being stretched out as an option. And the latest results from his minor-league rehab assignement are encouraging.
Blackburn made his second start for High-A Brooklyn on Friday night, striking out six while allowing two runs on four hits across three innings. He threw 41 total pitches, 31 of them for strikes.
The duration between Blackburn’s outings with Brooklyn nearly reached two weeks, as his scheduled start last Wednesday was scrapped due to a stomach bug that resulted in some weight loss.
The 31-year-old logged his first two rehab frames on April 19, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out one.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza recently said that Blackburn’s big-league role is to be determined, but they want his pitch count in the 65-70 range before activating him from the injured list.
Considering that he only threw 41 pitches on Friday, he most likely needs a few more rehab games to build up his workload.
The Mets also received some welcome news from their top farm team on Friday, as left-hander Felipe De La Cruz impressed with nine strikeouts across six scoreless innings in his debut with Triple-A Syracuse. The 23-year-old threw 70 pitches — 53 for strikes — and induced 12 whiffs with a sharp mid-80s slider and upper-90s sinker.
It didn’t take long for De La Cruz to receive the promotion. He began the 2025 season with Double-A Binghampton, registering a crisp 1.98 ERA with 20 strikeouts across 13.2 innings (four games, two starts).
Whether or not he’s being fast-tracked to the majors, De La Cruz is now a fun story to follow and on the Mets’ radar. He wasn’t even listed as a top-30 prospect by SNY contributor Joe DeMayo or MLB Pipeline this spring.
Read the full article here