NEW YORK (AP) — Taijuan Walker replaced injured reliever Joely Rodríguez on the New York Mets’ wild-card series roster ahead of Game 2 against the San Diego Padres on Saturday night.
With the Mets down 1-0 and facing elimination in the best-of-three playoff, Major League Baseball announced Saturday evening it approved the move.
Rodríguez won’t be eligible to return unless the Mets reach the NL Championship Series. The left-hander was 2-4 with a 4.47 ERA in 55 appearances this season. He did not pitch in Friday night’s 7-1 loss to San Diego in the series opener at Citi Field.
Walker, a regular starter, was initially left off the series roster after throwing 81 pitches over 4 1/3 scoreless innings Tuesday against Washington in his final outing of the regular season.
The right-hander was 12-5 with a 3.49 ERA in 29 starts this year. He made the NL All-Star team in 2021 with the Mets but then faded badly in the second half.
The move leaves the Mets with one left-hander in the bullpen: David Peterson. He struck out two in a hitless inning Friday night.
In a news release, MLB did not say what type of injury Rodríguez has. But the commissioner’s office said MLB Medical Director Dr. Gary Green “confirmed the injury after communicating with the evaluating physician.”
MLB must approve all injury-related roster substitutions in the postseason.
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