Brandon Sproat, one of the Mets’ top pitching prospects, will do something on Sunday that he hasn’t done all season, and it very well could be a precursor to a big-league call-up.
While Sunday would mark Sproat’s turn to start in the rotation, Syracuse will instead have the right-hander come out of the bullpen against Indianapolis to prepare him for what could be a role in the Mets’ major league bullpen at some point this season, according to Syracuse play-by-play broadcaster Michael Tricarico.
Sproat, 24, has made 24 starts for Syracuse this season, and while his 4.24 ERA may seem a bit high, it’s primarily a result of a tough start to the season. Sproat turned things around in a huge way in the month of July, pitching to 0.67 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 27.0 innings, putting himself back into consideration for a big-league promotion.
The Mets have already started their next youth movement on the mound, calling up Nolan McLean, who has been as good as advertised in his first two major league starts, pitching to a 1.46 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 12.1 innings.
Additionally, the Mets are reportedly considering calling up fellow top pitching prospect Jonah Tong, who has been nearly unhittable during a meteoric rise through the Mets minor league system. Tong began his 2024 season with Low-A St. Lucie and has already ascended to Triple-A Syracuse thanks to a career 2.54 ERA in the minors (including a 1.59 ERA with Double-A Binghamton), and he could also figure into the Mets’ 2025 pitching plans.
Time will tell if Sproat gets the call to the show to help the Mets down the stretch this season, but it’s clear that the organization is at least having him prepare as if that could come to fruition, either as a starter or a reliever.
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