The Mets could soon be getting some bullpen help, with Jared Hughes -- who missed all of summer camp after testing positive for coronavirus -- getting closer to a return.
Hughes and fellow reliever Brad Brach (who also missed summer camp due to coronavirus), returned to the Mets last week and have been ramping up.
Preparing at the Mets' alternate training site, Hughes is "back to full strength" and has thrown in mutliple games since reporting to MCU Park in Brooklyn, reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
With Hughes having been signed to a major league deal by the Mets while being added to their 60-man player pool in early July, the expectation should be that he'll immediately join the big league bullpen once he's deemed ready to go.
Hughes, 35, has a career 2.88 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in nine big league seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, and Philadelphia Phillies.
In 71.1 innings last year between the Reds and Phillies, Hughes had a 4.04 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.
When Hughes is ready, the Mets -- who are currently carrying nine relievers -- can either drop one of their bench players (they're currently carrying seven of them) or drop a reliever.
Of the relievers on the Mets' active roster at the moment, the most vulnerable ones appear to be Hunter Strickland, Chasen Shreve, and Paul Sewald.