The Mets designated RHP Jerad Eickhoff for assignment and called up LHP Thomas Szapucki prior to the team's game against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.
Eickhoff went 0-1 over two starts with a 4.50 ERA for the Mets. He allowed five earned runs on eight hits over 6.0 IP with three strikeouts against the Washington Nationals on Monday. The 30-year-old righty has gone 21-31 with a 4.16 ERA over 78 starts in his six-year big league career.
Szapucki will make his MLB debut when he appears in a game for the Mets. The 25-year-old has spent the last five seasons in the minor leagues since being drafted by the Mets in the fifth round (pick No. 149) out of William T. Dwyer High School in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Over eight games (seven starts) with Triple-A Syracuse, Szapucki has gone 0-3 with a 4.41 ERA in 2021. He's let up 36 hits and 17 earned runs over 34.2 IP with 38 strikeouts and 22 walks.
Since Joey Lucchesi's season ending surgery, the Mets are still searching for another consistent starter in the rotation. Szapucki could step up and fill that role if he's given the opportunity.