The Mets plan to activate Steve Trachsel from the disabled list today. New York placed Trachsel on the DL on July 2nd with a strained shoulder muscle. He was bothered by a blister and experienced spasms in his right trapezius muscle prior to his June 30th start. Nevertheless, he made the start and unsurprisingly had to be pulled in the fourth inning due to shoulder problems, though the blister did not trouble him.

Trachsel didn't respond immediately to a cortisone shot, so the Mets put him on the DL to rest. His recovery went smoothly, and after a rehab start, he's now ready to return to the rotation. Trachsel has suffered some control problems this season but otherwise pitched well for the Mets.

New York called up Tyler Walker to replace Trachsel on the roster. After only three days with the Mets, Walker returned to the minors in order to make room on the team for Mike Bacsik to take Trachsel's place in the rotation. New York evidently just wanted to have a fresh arm in the bullpen before calling up a starter, but I'm not certain why Walker couldn't have taken the start.

The Mets drafted Walker out of the University of California in the second round of the 1997 draft. He progressed steadily through New York's minor leagues and would have been ready for AAA last season if not for a torn labrum. He managed a half season of work and this season returned to Norfolk in the AAA International League, where he has a 79:33 K:BB in 108.2 IP with 108 H and 8 HR allowed. The right-hander isn't a high profile prospect as he's already 26, but he could certainly contribute to the Mets' rotation for a few seasons.

New York chose to give Trachsel's starts to Bacsik, who they acquired from the Indians in the Roberto Alomar trade. Cleveland drafted the lefty out of Texas' Duncanville High School in the 18th round of the 1996 draft. Bacsik has shown good skills as a starter in the minors and likely could have started the season in the Mets' rotation had the team needed him. Instead in 93 innings over 12 starts in 22 appearances at AAA Norfolk, he's compiled a 68:20 K:BB with 110 H and 9 HR allowed.

The Mets returned Bacsik to the minors on Sunday in anticipation of Trachsel's return. Manager Bobby Valentine indicated that the club will likely recall Bacsik if they have another opening in the rotation, though he reportedly also felt Bacsik still had some work to do in the minors. His three major league starts were acceptable but the stats from the games belie the weaknesses in his skills. In 18.1 IP, he allowed 22 H and 4 HR with a 12:6 K:BB. I suspect that the 24-year-old will ultimately end up in relief.

New York again wanted a fresh arm for the pen between Bacsik's demotion and Trachsel's start, so they called up Jae Weong Seo for two days. The Mets signed Seo out of Korea as a nondrafted free agent in 1998 and sent him directly to St. Lucie in the A+ Florida State League. He returned there in 1999 but had to have Tommy John surgery in May, causing him to miss the rest of that season and all of 2000. Once recovered from his injury last year, he spent a short time in A+ before moving up to the Mets' AA Eastern League franchise at Binghamton and eventually to AAA Norfolk. The 25-year-old displayed good skills and New York sent him to the Arizona Fall League after the season.

In 89.2 IP at Norfolk this season, he has a 53:18 K:BB with 98 H and 10 HR allowed. I'd like to see his dominance increase if he's to pitch in the Mets' rotation, but he should certainly be able to at least contribute to their pen next season. He'll be sent down when Trachsel is activated.

The team has made a few other changes to their pitching staff over the last month. In late June, New York placed Mark Corey on the disabled list after he suffered a seizure, reportedly brought on by an anxiety attack. The Mets sent Corey to the minors after he came off the disabled list but recalled him a day later when they placed Grant Roberts on the DL.

Roberts spent half a month on the DL earlier this season and only rejoined the team in late June. Now Roberts has developed tendinitis in the shoulder. No timetable has been set for his return, as he's currently seeking opinions on whether or not he will need surgery.

New York called up Jaime Cerda to replace Corey on the roster. Cerda has had an odd relationship with the Mets since the team originally drafted him out of Fresno Community College in the 23 round of the 1998 draft. He signed as a draft and follow in May of 1999 but then had his contract voided that July due to an injury that prevented him from playing until 2000, when he re-signed with New York.

He excelled as a left-handed reliever in the Short-Season New York-Pennsylvania League in 2000. In 2001, Cerda began the season at A+ St. Lucie and moved through AA Binghamton and up to AAA Norfolk at the end of the year. He struck out a batter per inning and had less than 2 BB/9. This season Cerda returned to AA for a few games before New York promoted him to AAA, where he had a 17:7 K:BB in 21 IP with 10 H and no home runs allowed. The 23-year-old has excelled in his 8.2 major league innings, compiling a 9:4 K:BB in 8.2 IP while allowing only 5 H. I'm a bit concerned with his rising BB/9 at AAA and in the majors, but he should continue to pitch well as a lefty specialist for New York. With Cerda on the roster, the Mets sent down Satoru Komiyama when they activated Roberts from his first DL trip in late June.

Last week, New York grabbed Ryan Jamison off waivers from the Astros. Houston drafted Jamison out of the University of Missouri in the 17th round of the 1999 draft. Jamison went to Auburn in the NY-P League after signing and was promoted to the A Midwest League at Michigan in 2000. He began last season in the A South Atlantic League at Lexington, moving to AA Round Rock in the Texas League mid-season. Although he worked relief for part of 2000, Jamison's primarily started during his minor league career. He's demonstrated good dominance at every level but experienced control problems at AA last season. Aside from one start, Jamison's worked out of the pen in AA this season. At one of the best hitters parks in the majors, he's compiled a 57:23 K:BB in 57.1 IP with 63 H and 4 HR allowed. He'll need some time at AAA before he's ready for the majors, but Jamison should be able to contribute to a major league pen sometime next season.

Joe McEwing strained his left rib cage in batting practice a week ago, prompting the Mets to make their only recent offensive change. New York placed McEwing on the DL last week and promoted Marcos Scutaro. I meant to comment when the Mets stole Scutaro off waivers from the Brewers in April, but it slipped through the cracks. The 26-year-old second baseman frequently demonstrated good plate discipline in the minors and possesses a moderate amount of both speed and power. In 291 AB at AAA Norfolk this season, he has 96 H, 20 2B, 5 3B, and 7 HR with a 25:46 BB:K and 5/11 SB% for a .330 BA, .386 OBP, .505 SLG. Scutaro will work the middle infield off the bench and could easily pick up a starting job if the Mets make trades to cut payroll before the July 31st deadline.