Even with the Mets needing six starters with the Friday night return of All-Star Kodai Senga, manager Carlos Mendoza is declining to move sudden bullpen weapon Jose Butto into the starting rotation.
Thursday’s night’s high-wire 3-2 victory over the Braves represented the latest reason why.
Butto retired all nine batters he faced — including a first-and-second jam inherited from starter Luis Severino in the sixth inning — with four strikeouts over three more scoreless innings to maintain a 2-2 tie.
“We won because of him tonight. He’s done a great job,” Severino said after the 10-inning walk-off victory. “He’s unbelievable. I don’t know how you can do that, being a starter and then just go to the pen and be outstanding.”
Of course, Severino dealt with that early in his career with the Yankees and recalled making that transition into a reliever as “the worst thing.”
That season-altering move hasn’t been an issue for the 26-year-old Butto, who has stranded all six runners he’s inherited over seven relief appearances since he was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse and assigned a bullpen role beginning July 2.
The righty has a 0.68 ERA over 13 ²/₃ innings in that stretch, with his lone earned run allowed coming in his previous outing Monday against the Marlins.
After Severino allowed the tying run on a walk and two singles to start the sixth, Butto struck out Eddie Rosario and Nacho Alvarez Jr. before getting Ramon Laureano to fly out.
Butto also recorded the next six outs to get the ball to Edwin Diaz in the ninth.
“Butto was pretty amazing there,” Mendoza said. “I think the biggest thing for me is his ability to slow the game down, especially when there’s traffic … and just having the awareness of where we are in the game, who’s the hitter, not getting behind in counts.
“He continues to execute pitches. He stays on the attack and is aggressive in the count, and the situation is not too big for him.”
Still, Mendoza had announced before the game that Tylor Megill will replace injured rookie Christian Scott in the rotation on Saturday, one day after Senga makes his anticipated first start of the season.
Butto, who filled in capably over seven outings as a starter earlier in the season, will remain for now as a multiple-inning weapon out of the pen.
“I just feel really good right now. I feel a lot of confidence,” Butto said. “My mind is ready to go and I just want to win. Win, win, win, that’s my mind right now.
“I enjoy [relieving] it a lot. I’m learning a lot and just try to attack the hitters and make quick outs and do my thing.”
