Helsley thinks his struggles since joining the Mets are a result of tipping pitches, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports. "I think I know how to fix it," the right-hander said Thursday. "So it's just being able to enforce that and that being my mental norm versus what I was doing to get my body to accept that and reinforce that."
The former Cardinals closer has a brutal 10.38 ERA, 2.31 WHIP and 11:7 K:BB in 8.2 innings with the Mets, and he's been tagged with multiple earned runs in four of his last six appearances. "It definitely stinks," Helsley said. "I've never gone through anything like this in my career." He's still looking for his first hold for New York after being acquired at the trade deadline to be the top set-up man for Edwin Diaz, instead taking three losses and getting charged with four blown saves.
Helsley was charged with a blown save Tuesday against Philadelphia, allowing two runs on one hit and two walks in one-third of an inning. He struck out one.
The poor performance came in the eighth inning, as Helsley continues to struggle in a setup role with the Mets. The hard-throwing right-hander now has a disastrous 10.38 ERA, 2.31 WHIP and 11:7 K:BB over 8.2 innings for New York. It wouldn't be surprising to see the club use Helsley in lower-leverage situations until he bounces back.
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Mets' Ryan Helsley: Struggles with new team continue
Rotowire
Helsley (3-3) took the loss Thursday against Atlanta, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk in an inning of relief. He failed to strike out a batter.
Called upon to protect a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning, Helsley issued a one-out walk before serving up back-to-back doubles to Michael Harris and Ozzie Albies. Helsley has had a rough start to his tenure as Edwin Diaz's main setup man, coughing up seven runs (albeit only three earned) over six appearances and five innings while getting charged with two blown saves and two losses. The Mets won't give up on the trade-deadline acquisition, but Helsley could begin to cede eighth-inning duties to other relievers until he gets back on track.
Mets' Ryan Helsley: Strikes out side in Queens debut
Rotowire
Helsley gave up two hits and struck out three in a scoreless ninth inning during Friday's extra-inning loss to the Giants.
Acquired from the Cardinals at the trade deadline, Helsley was impressive in his Mets debut, with seven of his 16 pitches (14 strikes) topping 100 mph. The right-hander will immediately slot in as the top setup man in front of closer Edwin Diaz, and while Helsley had a shaky start to his 2025 campaign, he's been in elite form over the last six weeks or so, posting a 0.75 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 14:2 K:BB over his last 12 innings.
The Cardinals traded Helsley to the Mets on Wednesday in exchange for Jesus Baez, Nate Dohm and Frank Elissalt, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
After making a move for Tyler Rogers earlier in the day, the Mets will bring in another quality high-leverage arm in Helsley, who currently boasts a 3.00 ERA through 36 innings and has notched 21 saves this season. With Edwin Diaz already firmly established as the Mets' closer, Helsley will likely join Rogers in working as a setup man in Queens.
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