The Mets are turning to Tobias Myers on Sunday at Wrigley Field, moving David Peterson out of the starting assignment as they try to stop a 10-game losing streak. Peterson was available in the bullpen, according to people familiar with the club’s plans.
The move comes with the Mets at 7-14 and looking for a jolt after one of the worst starts in franchise history. Peterson allowed four runs, five hits and four walks in five innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday and carried a 6.41 ERA, a steep drop from the form that made him an All-Star last season. He also posted a 6.34 ERA in 12 starts during the second half last year.
Myers has been building his case out of the bullpen. He last pitched Wednesday, when he threw two innings and 30 pitches, and he had not gone more than three innings in a game this season. Even so, he has worked to a 3.46 ERA as a long man, allowing just 10 base runners in 13 innings and at one point retiring 31 of 33 hitters. He also owns a career 3.17 ERA in 31 major league starts and posted a 3.00 ERA over 138 innings for Milwaukee in 2024.
Last week, Mets pitching coach Justin Willard described Myers as a pitcher whose delivery and arm slot make him difficult to read. He said the staff had been working with some different shapes, including a little more cut on the cutter and more drop on the splitter, while blending the previous slider and curveball into one harder pitch with more depth. Willard said the package should work whether Myers is asked for one inning or for five or six.
The rotation change fits the urgency around a club trying to halt the bleeding after a brutal opening stretch, but it also reflects how thin the alternatives have become. The Mets have not yet made a decision on Kodai Senga, who has allowed 14 runs in his last two starts over 5 2/3 innings. The last time the Mets lost 10 or more straight was an 11-game slide in 2004.
Myers is not new to the Mets. In October 2024, he held them scoreless through five innings in a winner-take-all playoff game for Milwaukee. Now he gets the ball for a team searching for something stable, and for the moment he is the one trusted to carry that load.
