Mets' Paul Blackburn: Closing in on rehab assignment
Rotowire
Blackburn (knee) is scheduled to throw two innings in a live batting practice session Tuesday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
Blackburn checked out fine after throwing a one-inning live BP session in Brooklyn on Friday, prompting the Mets to clear him to repeat the activity while increasing his pitch count. If all goes well Tuesday, Blackburn will then head out on a minor-league rehab assignment. Manager Carlos Mendoza said that the goal is to have Blackburn build up to around 65-to-70 pitches before coming off the 15-day injured list, so the right-hander will likely be in line for at least two starts on the farm.
The Mets officially placed Blackburn (knee) on the 15-day injured list Thursday.
Blackburn opened the season on the shelf after experiencing right knee inflammation coming out of his final spring training appearance. He received an injection to alleviate the discomfort and is currently in the midst of a 7-to-10-day no-throw period. He's not expected to require much time to ramp up once the pain in his knee subsides, potentially putting Blackburn in line for a mid-to-late April return from the IL.
... See More... See Less
Mets' Paul Blackburn: Goes on IL with knee injury
Rotowire
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Wednesday that Blackburn will be placed on the 15-day injured list due to right knee inflammation, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Blackburn's surgically repaired back held up fine this spring, but he'll be shelved to begin the season with a different injury. The right-hander will be shut down for 7-to-10 days but is expected back before the end of April. Blackburn had been slated for a long-relief role before the injury.
... See More... See Less
Mets' Paul Blackburn: Headed for bullpen
Rotowire
Blackburn is expected to start the season working as a reliever, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
The Mets dealt with some injuries to their starting rotation during spring training, but Blackburn was unable to take advantage of the opportunity with eight earned runs allowed and a 9:6 K:BB over 12.2 frames in the Grapefruit League. Blackburn could still make some starts at some point this summer, but it doesn't seem like he'll be a consistent rotation piece for New York.
... See More... See Less
Mets' Paul Blackburn: Still in rotation mix
Rotowire
Blackburn gave up three runs on five hits and two walks over 2.1 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He failed to strike out a batter.
While his final line was sketchy, Blackburn blanked the Nats through two innings before running out of gas in the third and serving up homers to CJ Abrams and James Wood. The right-hander appears to be on the outside looking in for a spot on the Opening Day rotation even with Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) sidelined to begin the season, but with the Mets planning to deploy a six-man rotation somewhat liberally in 2025, Blackburn should get starting opportunities over the summer.
... See More... See Less
Mets' Paul Blackburn: Bumpy outing Sunday
Rotowire
Blackburn gave up four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks over 1.1 innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. He failed to strike out a batter.
After tossing a scoreless inning in his spring debut last week, Blackburn ran into trouble against a Boston lineup that featured most of its likely Opening Day starters. The 31-year-old right-hander is competing in camp for a spot at the back of the Mets' injury-plagued rotation, but Blackburn will need better performances than this to climb over Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning on the depth chart.
... See More... See Less
Mets' Paul Blackburn: Cleared for spring debut
Rotowire
Blackburn (back) is scheduled to start Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Blackburn will most likely be limited to one or two innings in his spring debut as he attempts to make his case for a spot in the Mets' Opening Day rotation. With Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) both expected to begin the season on the injured list, the Mets should have at least two spots available at the back of the rotation for Blackburn, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning. All three could end up breaking camp in starting roles if the Mets opt to go with a six-man rotation, something that president of baseball operations David Stearns said over the winter that he was expecting the team to implement in 2025.
... See More... See Less
Mets' Paul Blackburn: Path clearing for rotation spot
Rotowire
Blackburn (back) may be ticketed for a spot in the Opening Day rotation if Sean Manaea (oblique) begins the season on the injured list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Blackburn will need to prove that he's healthy himself, of course, but Frankie Montas (lat) was already expected to be sidelined into May, so the Mets' rotation depth is being tested early. Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes and David Peterson are the only locks for starting jobs right now, with Blackburn, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill competing for the remaining spots, but if New York sticks with its plan to use a six-man rotation, there would be room for all three. The Mets have three off days in the first 15 days of their schedule however, so they could delay those plans until mid-April. Blackburn underwent spinal surgery in October, but he's throwing live batting practice sessions in camp and is on track to be ready for Opening Day.
... See More... See Less
Mets' Paul Blackburn: Throwing to hitters
Rotowire
Blackburn (back) threw one inning of live batting practice Tuesday, Andrew Tredinnick of NorthJersey.com reports.
Blackburn worked with the Mets this offseason to refine his sinker and sweeper with the goal of adding more run to his sinker and more horizontal movement to his sweeper to make it less of a slurve. He got off to a rough start with the Mets after getting traded from the A's last season, including a hand contusion and a spinal fluid leak in mid-September that ended his season. He had surgery Oct. 11 that came with a three-to-five month estimated recovery, and we'll be at five months in mid-March. Blackburn is understandably a little behind the likes of Tylor Megill, who is reportedly furthest along of Blackburn and Griffin Canning, all of whom are competing for the final two spots in the Mets' six-man rotation.
... See More... See Less
Mets' Paul Blackburn: Slightly behind competition
Rotowire
Blackburn (back) is a little behind the Mets' other rotation options at the start of spring training, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report.
This is no real surprise, as Blackburn underwent spinal surgery in October. The 31-year-old right-hander made only five starts for the Mets in 2024 after being acquired from the A's, stumbling to a 5.18 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB in 24.1 innings, and he's never thrown more than 111.1 innings in a big-league season. If he demonstrates he's fully recovered from the surgery and back to his pre-injury form, Blackburn should compete for the No. 6 starter role alongside Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill.
... See More... See Less
Mets' Paul Blackburn: Avoids arbitration
Rotowire
The Mets and Blackburn (back) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract Thursday.
Blackburn was eligible for arbitration for the third and final time. The veteran right-hander is recovering from back surgery but is expected to be ready for Opening Day. However, it appears unlikely at this juncture that there will be room for him in the Mets' rotation.
... See More... See Less
Mets' Paul Blackburn: On track for Opening Day
Rotowire
General manager David Stearns said Monday that Blackburn (back) is on track to be ready for Opening Day of the 2025 season, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Blackburn was diagnosed with a cerebrospinal fluid leak in mid-September, which required him to undergo surgery Oct. 11. Barring any setbacks, the timeline for that surgery typically takes 4-to-5 months, and based on Stearns' comments Monday, it appears the 31-year-old right-hander will be ready to pitch for the start of the regular season. Blackburn started 14 regular-season games between the Mets and A's last season and posted a 5-4 record with a 4.66 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 59:21 K:BB across 75.1 innings, though whether he works out of the Mets' rotation or bullpen next year has yet to be determined.
Mets' Paul Blackburn: Out up to five months post-surgery
Rotowire
Blackburn underwent surgery Oct. 11 to repair a cerebrospinal fluid leak, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
Per the Mets, it's a procedure which typically carries a return to play timeline of 4-5 months. That would seemingly give Blackburn a shot to be ready in time for Opening Day, provided there are no setbacks along the way. If healthy, Blackburn should open the 2025 season in the Mets' rotation. He held a 4.66 ERA and 59:21 K:BB over 75.1 innings covering 14 starts between the Athletics and Mets in 2024.
... See More... See Less
Mets' Paul Blackburn: Moved to 60-day IL
Rotowire
Blackburn (back) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Saturday, per MLB's transaction log.
Blackburn was placed on the 15-day injured list in late August due to a hand injury. He subsequently suffered a back issue and was diagnosed with a spinal fluid leak in mid-September. Blackburn's move to the 60-day IL officially ends his 2024 season. The transaction also clears way on the Mets' 40-man roster for Kodai Senga, who was activated from the 60-day IL in a corresponding move and is set to start Game 1 of the NLDS against the Phillies.
... See More... See Less
Mets' Paul Blackburn: Won't return this season
Rotowire
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesdaythat Blackburn (back) won't pitch at any point during the postseason, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Blackburn had hoped to be available for the Mets at some point during the playoffs, but he is still having issues after first experiencing a spinal fluid leak in mid-September. The righty posted a 5.18 ERA over five starts for the Mets after being acquired from the Athletics at the trade deadline. He'll be eligible for salary arbitration for a final time this winter.
