New York, May 18, 2026, 17:03 EDT
The New York Mets are calling up left-hander Zach Thornton to pitch Wednesday, giving the 24-year-old prospect a major-league look as the club tries to cover a sudden rotation opening. Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters Thornton could either start or work behind an opener, a reliever used for a short first stint before a longer pitcher follows.
The move matters now because Wednesday had been Clay Holmes’ turn. Holmes was placed on the 15-day injured list after a 111.1-mph line drive from Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones fractured his right fibula, and Mendoza called the loss “a huge blow” for a rotation that had leaned on Holmes’ consistency. Reuters
The roster strain is already showing. The Mets selected right-hander Daniel Duarte’s contract Monday, optioned Joey Gerber to Triple-A Syracuse and moved left-hander A.J. Minter to the 60-day injured list, according to the club’s transaction log. Thornton is not on the 40-man roster, the group from which active major-league players are drawn, so another move will be needed before he is added.
Thornton has made seven minor-league starts this season, going 1-3 with a 3.16 ERA — earned-run average, or earned runs allowed per nine innings — and 40 strikeouts in 37 innings. He was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse from Double-A Binghamton on May 7.
His Triple-A sample is small but better than the full line. Baseball Savant lists Thornton with a 2.25 ERA in two Syracuse starts, including six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday.
Mendoza had talked up Thornton in spring training after the pitcher allowed one run over 3-2/3 innings against Toronto. “He’s not afraid,” the Mets manager said then, adding that Thornton could throw strikes and work fastballs inside to right-handed hitters. New York Post
The Mets are not buying a pure power arm. FanGraphs ranked Thornton No. 12 in the system in March and described him as a strike-throwing starter with strong command, modest velocity and deception in his delivery; it projected him as a back-end starter if the stuff holds up.
The timing leaves little margin. Christian Scott and Nolan McLean were lined up ahead of Thornton, while Tobias Myers had starting experience but had not thrown more than three innings in an outing this season, MLB Trade Rumors reported. That pushed the Mets toward a prospect rather than simply stretching out a current bullpen arm.
But there is risk in the ask. Thornton has only two Triple-A starts, and a command-first left-hander who does not overpower hitters can have a narrow path if major-league bats do not chase early. The Mets could still use an opener to protect him, or send him back down if the roster math gets tight.
Wednesday’s game is in Washington, part of a road series against the Nationals. For the Mets, it is also a test of whether their pitching depth can hold after Holmes’ injury turned a routine rotation turn into a roster scramble.
