The 23-year-old heads back to the minors to make room for Jacob deGrom.
Following their ugly loss in Los Angeles on Friday night, the Mets optioned Rafael Montero to Triple-A Las Vegas. The move clears a spot on the active roster that the team will use to activate Jacob deGrom from the disabled list on Saturday.
Montero gave up a run in one-third of an inning in relief—his first professional appearance out of the bullpen since 2011—before the Mets demoted him. His previous appearance was an excellent start against the Cubs on Sunday. In total, Montero has thrown 32.2 innings in the big leagues this year and has a 5.23 ERA and 6.07 FIP. He has pitched well in Las Vegas this year despite an uncharacteristically high walk rate.
With the return of deGrom, who has been one of the bright spots of an otherwise uninspiring Mets season, the Mets are back to their regular five-man starting rotation, which also includes Bartolo Colon, Zack Wheeler, Jon Niese, and Dillon Gee.