Mets Move Sean Manaea to Bullpen Amid Season Struggles

The New York Mets are moving left-handed pitcher Sean Manaea to the bullpen amid ongoing struggles in his 2025 season. After a strong 2024, Manaea started 2025 late due to elbow and oblique injuries and posted a 2.08 ERA in his first five appearances, but has since faltered with a 7.71 ERA over his last seven starts, allowing numerous runs and home runs. This decline led the Mets to shift from a six-man rotation to a five-man rotation, promoting rookies Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat while retaining them in the rotation over Manaea. Manaea is expected to pitch out of the bullpen, likely following right-handed starter Clay Holmes in upcoming games, a role he has begun to fill with some initial success. Despite impressive strikeout rates and peripheral statistics, Manaea's results have been below expectations, partly due to poor luck and a high home run rate. The move reflects the Mets' attempt to manage their pitching depth and maximize team performance in the stretch run of the season.