MIAMI — The Jose Butto experiment may not be an experiment for much longer. The right-handed swingman is quickly becoming invaluable to the Mets ‘ bullpen. Since being called up to work out of the bullpen on July 1 , the right-hander has yet to allow an earned run.
He’s inherited four runners and stranded them all. The 26-year-old Venezuelan is 3-0 with a save as a reliever, he’s using all of his pitches against right- and left-handed hitters and overall, has made a strong impression on the Mets after five relief appearances (8 2/3 innings). “He’s done a tremendous job,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday at LoanDepot Park.
“Yeah, we see him as a starter as well, but you know, the way he’s throwing the baseball out of the bullpen in high leverage-situations, [pitching] multiple innings and the way he’s recovering too says a lot.” The Mets view him as a Swiss Army Knife of sorts, using him in various situations, but for a Swiss Army Knife to work, it can’t be dull. Butto has made a seamless transition, praising veteran relief arms with helping him make the adjustment.
When the Mets made the decision to use Butto out of the bullpen, the key challenge they identified was with his pregame preparation routine. Butto needed adequate time to go through his full stretching routine and to be able to get his arm ready before throwing in the bullpen and going through his warmup pitches on the mound. Starters are typically afforded more time for this.
Relievers don’t always have the luxury of time, but he adapted his routine quickly. Butto readies himself throughout the game and starts stretching when it looks as though the Mets are close to needing a reliever. He doesn’t wait for the dugout phone to start ringing first.
By the time he hits the mound, he’s ready. “I throw a lot of pitches in the bullpen before I get in the game,” Butto told the Daily News. “When they call, I’ve stretched already.
So I’ve got my glove and I start throwing.” Butto also has a rough idea of when he will be used and when he won’t, since he needs days off after throwing multiple innings. But the uncertainty of relief pitching is still there, which was something that had him on edge in Washington earlier this month when he walked out to the bullpen with the other relievers for the first time this season.
“In the beginning, I was talking a lot to the guys with more experience,” Butto said. “It was like, ‘Hey, what do you think I need to do?’ And they come in, always, and say ‘Get ready like this,’ They’ve helped me with that a lot.” Butto feels comfortable whether he has a clean inning or not.
He hasn’t changed his approach against hitters and he’s throwing more strikes to minimize the walks that burned him during his early-season stint with the major league team. “I just look to do the same,” he said. “For example, if I come in with a runner in scoring position, I just imagine, ‘Hey, I’ve got this sequence,’ and I try to execute.
” His body and arm are also bouncing back strong from each outing, something that has not gone unnoticed by Mendoza and the staff. Now that he’s made the transition, the challenge for the Mets is to keep him stretched out. Like Mendoza said, the Mets still see him as a starter.
He has the durability, velocity and enough pitches to continue starting in the big leagues. But using him for one inning every few days doesn’t keep his arm in starting shape. The Mets intend to keep his pitch count up.
It’s why the team isn’t in any sort of rush to make a decision on whether or not they’ll keep him in the bullpen in the future. At the moment, he’s still a swingman. Butto is happy with any role.
“It’s good right now,” Butto said. “I just try to do my job to help the team. If they need me in the bullpen now, I’ll just be ready.
Minor league catcher Logan Porter was signed to a major league contract and optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Right-hander Cole Sulser was designated for assignment in a corresponding transaction. Third baseman Mark Vientos was out of the lineup for the series finale in Miami on Monday after being hit with a back-pick in the helmet the day prior .
It was a precautionary day off. Vientos was able to stay in the game and tested negative for a concussion..
