ATLANTA — Ryne Stanek began the season as a top Mets bullpen option but is nearing the final month just struggling to maintain a roster spot.
It’s a reality the 34-year-old fireballer acknowledges but says he chooses largely to ignore as he attempts to rebound from what he considers a career-worst stretch.
“If you play long enough, you know how the business works,” said Stanek, who did not appear in the Mets’ 12-7 win over the Braves on Friday. “My job is to go out there and pitch and get outs and get better and take what they tell me and implement it. I can’t concern myself with [potentially getting released] at the moment. All that is, it’s a distraction.”
Stanek has compiled a 5.65 ERA in 50 appearances this season. His latest rough outing was Thursday, when he allowed four earned runs in the eighth inning in the Mets’ 9-3 loss in Washington.
It marked the third time this month Stanek surrendered multiple runs during an outing. He now has an 18.56 ERA for August with 11 hits allowed and five walks over 5 ¹/₃ innings, spanning seven appearances.
Stanek’s frustration stems from the fact his raw stuff remains elite — his average fastball velocity of 98.5 mph ranks in MLB’s 97th percentile, according to Statcast, with a slider on which the expected batting average this season is .168. The actual number is .229, as Stanek hasn’t caught many breaks on balls put in play.
“This is the best stuff I have had my entire career,” Stanek said. “Velocity, shapes, execution over the course of the year has been better, but the results have been worse. And that’s the part, like, is it a sequencing issue? Is it a pitch-tipping issue? We are going over all the things it could be.
“I have never had a stretch where my stuff is as good as it has been and the results have been what they have been, which is the most frustrating part. It’s way easier if, ‘Oh, the velocity is down, I’m getting hit harder.’ If it’s something noticeably different, you can pretty easily pick that up.”
Stanek was a significant addition last season after arriving at the trade deadline from Seattle. He emerged as the team’s top setup option as the Mets progressed into the postseason before returning last winter on a one-year contract worth $4.5 million.
The season began with Stanek as a primary option leading into Edwin Diaz, but Stanek’s lack of consistency changed the script. Before the trade deadline, the Mets acquired Gregory Soto, Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley, relegating Stanek to a lower-leverage role.
“The preparation is definitely way different,” Stanek said. “A lot of things are different, but I am not going to use that as an excuse. That does no good, right? My job is to go out there and get outs when my name is called and that is what I am going to focus on.”
Manager Carlos Mendoza said he spoke with Stanek following Thursday’s outing, which included the right-hander surrendering a three-run homer to James Wood.
“I am going to continue to be supportive; the stuff is there,” Mendoza said. “You are looking at 100 [mph] and displaying it, and it’s kind of crazy, but we continue to believe in him.”
Mendoza said the key to success is finishing hitters when he gets ahead in the count.
“Maybe he’s a little too much in the strike zone and they put the ball in play,” Mendoza said. “And he’s been a little bit unlucky as well, but I think executing when he’s ahead in counts is the biggest thing.”
