With deGrom seemingly ready to return, Montero appears to be the odd man out in the Mets' rotation.
After Jacob deGrom threw a successful bullpen again this afternoon in Oakland, Mets manager Terry Collins told the team's beat reporters that deGrom is scheduled to get the start against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Saturday night. In addition, Collins said that Rafael Montero, who pitched a great game on Sunday afternoon in Queens, might work out of the Mets' bullpen on Wednesday.
With Zack Wheeler, Dillon Gee, and Jon Niese slated the start the Mets' next three games, deGrom will slot back into the rotation ahead of Bartolo Colon, who will presumably return from the bereavement list on Sunday following the death of his mother.
The 26-year-old deGrom—who was originally called up to the Mets to pitch in relief but wound up in the rotation before he did—has a 2.87 ERA and 3.05 FIP in sixteen starts for the Mets this year and has been a very pleasant surprise. Montero has a 5.01 ERA in six major league starts this year, though he has pitched to better results in Triple-A Las Vegas. He has just five relief appearances in his professional career, all of which came back in 2011, his first year in the Mets' system.