Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said Tuesday that pitcher Rafael Montero will very likely make the team as a reliever, ESPNNewYork.com reports.
"From my standpoint, to the extent that we can keep him and avoid sending him back to Vegas, that would be a good thing," Alderson said about Montero. "He’s done very well over almost two seasons at Vegas. I’d hate to overcook a guy by sending him back again. But if it’s necessary, it is. Anyway, the numbers do suggest he has a better opportunity now than he did before."
It was reported Monday that the team had considered Montero a candidate to fill the rotation spot of the injured Zack Wheeler, but Dillon Gee is the favorite to join the rotation instead. Montero has pitched almost exclusively as a starter in his professional career, but he made two relief appearances as well as eight starts during his first major-league season in 2014. He allowed two earned runs in 1 1/3 innings in his only spring appearance to date.