Frankie Montas Injury: Could be bullpen option

Montas (lat) may rejoin the Mets in a bullpen role rather than being plugged into the rotation right away, Tim Britton of the Athletic reports.

In his most recent rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, Montas got hammered for eight runs in only 1.2 innings, and he'll get to make only one more start before his 30-day rehab stint expires. The 32-year-old is stretched out enough to handle a starting role -- he's thrown 129 pitches over his last two appearances -- but if his performance doesn't improve in his final outing for Syracuse, the Mets may not want to risk him in the rotation. New York plays 13 games in 13 days beginning Tuesday however and will almost certainly need a sixth starter to get through that stretch, and their options for that spot are limited with Paul Blackburn already set to fill in for Kodai Senga (hamstring). If the Mets decide that Montas isn't quite ready to start when he's activated from the 60-day injured list, it could open the door for a prospect such as Nolan McLean to make a spot start instead.