PORT ST. LUCIE — Seth Lugo has spent significant chunks of the past two seasons with the Mets, but breaking camp on a major league roster was still uncharted territory. That was until recent days, when Lugo was informed he was not only on the team, but also in the starting rotation until Jason Vargas returns.
“It’s pretty cool,” Lugo said Sunday. “I am a big leaguer.”
The 28-year-old righty earned his spot, pitching to a 2.87 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in seven appearances this spring, highlighted by Thursday’s outing in which he fired four innings of scoreless relief after Zack Wheeler imploded early against the Nationals.
If Wheeler had excelled in that game, chances are he would have received the fifth spot in the rotation, with Lugo in the bullpen. Now it’s Lugo who gets the chance, at least until Vargas is ready.
The lefty Vargas will begin the season on the disabled list after last week undergoing surgery to remove the hamate bone in his non-throwing hand. The expectation is Lugo will be needed for one or two starts before likely settling into a bullpen role.
“I am proud to earn that spot,” Lugo said. “I feel I put in a lot of work this spring, and it’s nice to see it pay off.”
If Lugo has changed this spring, he said it’s because he is throwing his curveball more often than last season. Lugo’s spin rate on his curve has consistently been among baseball’s best.
“They encouraged me to throw my curveball and that is one thing I have kind of had in the back of my mind,” Lugo said.
“Some pitching coaches don’t want you to throw too many breaking balls, they want you to attack with fastballs, but they told me, ‘Use that curveball. Don’t be afraid to throw it,’ so I have been throwing it a lot more and throwing it where I want to. So I am getting a lot more comfortable and I feel like it’s finally where I want it to be.”
Lugo’s curveball, according to manager Mickey Callaway, is a significant weapon.
“If he can continue to use that, he doesn’t need to hold on to it,” Callaway said. “If you need to throw it the second pitch of the game, throw it. Go out there and show them your best stuff because we don’t care how far you pitch in the game. We just want you to be as effective as possible while you are out there.”
Lugo was in contention for last year’s Opening Day roster until a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, detected upon his return from the World Baseball Classic, removed him from the mix in the final days of camp.
After returning to the Mets on June 11, he stayed in the rotation for most of the season, going 7-5 with a 4.71 ERA in 19 appearances.
“I feel great physically,” Lugo said. “I have been putting in a lot of work trying to feel the way I want to feel and I don’t think I have felt this good in a few years, so it has been a real good spring.”
Lugo was at least seventh on the rotation depth chart following Vargas’ arrival at the beginning of camp on a two-year contract worth $16 million. Wheeler’s lackluster spring — the right-hander was demoted to minor league camp Saturday and will begin the season at Triple-A Las Vegas — and Vargas’ injury on a comebacker in a minor league game changed the dynamic.
Lugo’s best work for the Mets came in the final six weeks of the 2016 season, when he went 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA in the rotation to help the team clinch a National League wild-card berth.
Now he’s about to hear his name introduced at Citi Field for Opening Day on Thursday.
“I assume it will be similar feelings that I had during the wild-card game in 2016,” Lugo said. “It’s pretty exciting to be out there and [hear] my name.”