A.J. Minter clears final Mets hurdle for completing his Opening Day goal
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LUCIE — A.J.Minter was far from sure when camp opened if he would be ready for Opening Day with the Mets, but following his Monday relief appearance he was all but certain it will happen.The left-hander allowed a solo homer to Pablo Reyes but struck out two in his inning of work in the 6-6 tie with the Yankees at Clover Park.Minter cleared a hurdle in that he pitched twice in three days for the first time this spring, giving him the green light for Thursday’s season opener in Houston, barring some sort of physical setback.“I was happy with the way I responded with just one day of rest,” Minter said.
“I continued to throw strikes today and I think we checked that last box.”Minter, who arrived on a two-year contract worth $22 million, is returning from hip surgery last season.He slow-played his buildup this spring to ensure he didn’t overextend during his rehab.“My goal the whole offseason was to be ready for Opening Day,” Minter said.“I think it was going to come down to literally today, the last day to make that decision because you never want to go into the season just not feeling confident.”Max Kranick and Huascar Brazobán, who are candidates for the final bullpen vacancy, each pitched a scoreless inning with one strikeout.
Kranick finished the exhibition season with a 1.46 ERA.Brazobán posted a 1.69 ERA.Both relievers traveled with the Mets to Houston, where team officials will finalize the 26-man roster for Opening Day.Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuña and Hayden Senger have been without competition for jobs in camp in recent days, but none of the three have been told they are on the team, as team brass monitors the waiver wire and cuts from other camps.
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