ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Christian Scott’s electric debut made the Mets want to see more of him.
The club is at least open to the idea of seeing much more of Scott on the mound this season than it saw last season.
The 24-year-old righty is not on a firm innings limit, manager Carlos Mendoza said, even after a 2023 season that featured just 87 ²/₃ total minor league innings from Scott.
In recent years, teams have been especially careful with significant innings jumps from one season to the next, wary that an overload can lead to injury.
The odds of Scott throwing 200 innings this season are minuscule, but the Mets are vowing to evaluate Scott through more advanced means — such as strength testing and measures such as whether his release point drops — rather than assigning a strict innings cap.
Which leaves open the possibility that Scott, even if his innings pile up, can still be a factor late in the season.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Mendoza said this weekend from Tropicana Field, where the Mets were swept by the Rays. “We have a really good medical group and a lot of information. We’ll be cautious when we have to, but he’s a normal pitcher.”
Mendoza meant he would be handled normally, though Scott did not look normal Saturday, when he debuted with 6 ²/₃ excellent innings in which he allowed one run on five hits and one walk.
Scott was a reliever at the University of Florida, drafted in 2021 and converted to a starter in the middle of 2022, when he totaled just 58 ²/₃ innings.
He added about another 30 last season, when he shot up from Low-A St. Lucie to Triple-A Syracuse in one year.
“I know I haven’t started a lot in my career — I don’t have a lot of innings and what not,” Scott said Sunday before the Mets lost, 7-6, in 10 innings “But I feel like I’ve put myself in a good position with my preparation, my routine. I think I can lengthen myself out, and I trust the work I’ve done this offseason. … I want to stay healthy and just go out there and win games.”
There are plenty of variables, most notably whether Scott can continue performing like a must-have rotation member in a crowded group that will get more crowded as the rehabbing Kodai Senga, Tylor Megill and David Peterson become options.
But if given the chance, Scott said he believes he can still be a weapon for the Mets in September, even if his innings have climbed to areas that he has never reached.
“I’m going to go out there whenever I get the chance,” Scott said. “I want the ball whenever I can get it.”
Luis Severino allowed four runs in five innings in which he allowed four hits and, more glaringly, six walks.
Severino struck out six, which helped him out of jams and kept the Mets in the game, but he knows where he faltered.
“Fastball command was not as good as it was in the last outing,” said Severino, whose ERA rose to 2.93.
Kodai Senga “felt great” during a 32-pitch, two-inning live batting-practice session Saturday, Mendoza said.
Senga faced hitters for a second time since suffering his shoulder strain and next will either throw a third live BP or be sent for a minor league rehab assignment.
“Everything’s moving in the right direction,” Mendoza said.
On a day game after a night game, J.D. Martinez was out of the starting lineup.
Martinez, who had started the two previous games and five of the past six after his shortened spring training, was replaced by DJ Stewart at DH. Martinez pinch hit in the ninth and drew a walk.
The Mets are waiting on a second opinion on the elbow of Nate Lavender, who is on the injured list with Triple-A Syracuse.
Lavender, a promising lefty who had looked close to being ready to help at the major league level, may need surgery.
“We’re still waiting to see what we’re dealing with here,” Mendoza said.
