Tylor Megill to Start Mets Grapefruit League Opener

Tylor Megill will get the start when the Mets begin Grapefruit League action on Saturday vs. the Cardinals in Port St. Lucie, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Righties José Butto and Max Kranick are slated to start the second and third games. The game starts at 1:10 p.m. ET on SNY.

The trio will all be battling for roster spots. Megill made 25 starts for the Mets last season, striking out 105 in 126 1/3 innings with a 4.70 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 4.96 FIP. He may try to fool the Cardinals with the split-fingered fastball he started working on at the end of last season, dubbed the “American spork,” not to be confused with ace Kodai Senga‘s “ghost fork.”

Butto, a 25-year-old from Venezuela, struck out 38 in 42 innings last year while posting a 3.64 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 4.02 FIP in nine appearances and seven starts for the Mets. He will face Houston in Port St. Lucie on Sunday.

Kranick, 26, of Scranton, Pa., last pitched in the majors in 2022 when he tossed five innings for the Pirates. In 2021, he made nine starts for Pittsburgh. He went 2-3 with a 6.28 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 4.64 FIP while striking out 32 in 38 2/3 innings. The Mets picked him up off waivers from the Pirates last month. The Mets play Washington in West Palm Beach on Monday.

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