Corey Oswalt tossed three innings of five-hit, two-run ball on Sunday against the Yankees.

Oswalt had just two big league outings last year, but posted a 2.91 ERA in 16 starts with Triple-A Syracuse last year.

After his outing, the Mets right-hander told reporters that he sees himself as a starter.

"Right now, I’m being built out as a starter. That’s where I see myself at," Oswalt said. "I think that’s what the team sees me, as a starter. So I’m just getting my pitch count up and whatever, whenever they need me I’ll be ready to go.”

While Oswalt may be viewing himself as a starter, the Mets seem pretty set with their rotation at the moment. Jacob deGrom heads the group, of course, with Marcus Stroman and Steven Matz at No. 2 and No. 3. Rounding out the bunch is Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha, two new faces that were brought on as depth starters to begin with this offseason.

Oswalt could still be the one who comes up in a pinch if someone were to go down during the season, however an expanded roster to start could mean having him out of the bullpen when the regular season kicks off.

The 26-year-old also discussed the emphasis of his slider usage, a pitch he said needed to work on.

“Starting from the beginning in Syracuse last year, it was just one pitch I think I needed to take to the next level and I really worked on it last year. I threw it a lot. This past offseason and even in the quarantine period, I just had more time to work on it," he said.

The Yankees were Oswalt's toughest match in quite some time.

“They have a good lineup so I was excited for the opportunity to kinda see where I stack up," he said.

Popular in the Community