May 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher David Peterson (23) delivers a pitch in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Had it not been for a Carson Benge stumble in the outfield, David Peterson would have put forth four scoreless frames in relief during Monday night’s 4-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
The veteran southpaw was nails out of the bullpen yet again, striking out six. He came out of the pen following opener Huascar Brazoban and Austin Warren, further proving that he delivers his best stuff in more of a piggyback role.
Peterson was relegated to this sort of role due to an inability to perform as a starter, posting an 8.10 ERA across five outings with the rotation. In three outings as a reliever (11 innings), he has a 2.45 ERA and a strikeouts-to-walk ratio of nine compared to just two as a starter.
“That’s how I expect myself to pitch and that’s how I expect myself to attack hitters,” Peterson said. “So that’s why it is disappointing when it has gone the other way a couple of times this year.”
These splits are not necessarily new for Peterson. He owns a career 2.41 regular-season ERA as a reliever and was a stalwart out of the bullpen during the Mets’ run to the NLCS in 2024.
Still, manager Carlos Mendoza is keeping him on the periphery of the starting rotation, albeit more out of necessity. The Mets have three proven starters in Clay Holmes, Nolan McLean, and Freddy Peralta, but the bottom two slots are uncertain. Christian Scott looked good in his second big-league start of the season on Friday against the Angels, but Kodai Senga is on the injured list after an abysmal slump, Sean Manaea is stuck in the bullpen while his velocity fails to return, and Tobias Myers is still not in the running for a starting role.
“It’s easy [to think of Peterson as a reliever] because of three outings now where he’s been really, really good,” Mendoza said. “But I keep saying it, he’s a starter. He’s very good when he’s at his best, and we saw it today. I think the key is attacking the strike zone. He pounded the strike zone today with everything.”
