Lucchesi will be stretched out as a starter in spring training, indicating he could begin the regular season in the rotation at Triple-A Syracuse, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
The Mets have five veteran starters on guaranteed contracts, which means when everyone is healthy, depth options like Lucchesi will either work out of the big-league bullpen or get stashed in Syracuse. As the 29-year-old lefty has minor-league options remaining, the latter route seems more likely to begin the season. Lucchesi didn't pitch at all in the majors last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery but made eight of his 11 appearances for the Mets in 2021 as a starter, posting a 4.46 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 41:11 K:BB over 38.1 innings.