Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said Monday the promotion of top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler is "not about Super-2 status," but there is no urgency to recall him from Triple-A Las Vegas despite the team's struggles in the starting rotation. Alderson said the problems in the rotation are related to three or four players as each member other than Matt Harvey has posted a losing record and an ERA above 4.60.
"What I said before with respect to Wheeler ... there will be a time when his performance converges with our need," he told WFAN in New York. "I'm not here to say we don't need him at this point, but we have to make (sure) that we're comfortable and that he will be comfortable and that we don't set him back in his development and ultimately his career in New York."
Alderson said he would prefer to bring along the 22-year-old Wheeler in a similar fashion to Harvey, who made his MLB debut last July after dominating the Triple-A level. The promising right-hander has displayed marked improvement recently in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, allowing just three runs over his past three starts (20 innings).
"What we want to do, in Wheeler's case, is what we did with Harvey," the third-year GM said. "That is to create the right moment for him to begin his major-league career and have success from the outset, and go forward. That doesn't mean bringing him up in July. ... We want to make sure that he has the best chance to succeed and he's not viewed as the savior of the Mets."