Christian Scott Struggles in Mets Return After Tommy John Surgery

Christian Scott’s highly anticipated return to the mound for the New York Mets was marred by a rough outing that he would likely prefer to forget. The right-handed pitcher, making his first appearance in nearly two years, lasted just 1.1 innings, surrendering one run while issuing five walks during his comeback from Tommy John surgery.

Following the Mets’ 10-8 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field, Scott reflected on his performance, acknowledging, “It was great to get out there with the team. First, unbelievable job by the offense today, grinding out at-bats through all nine innings, did a great job against all their arms. Bullpen did a really good job, too … I didn’t do my job, but they did their job and that’s why we’re here with a win today.”

Scott started strong, striking out Byron Buxton, but quickly found himself in trouble. He walked four of the next six batters and allowed a two-out run after Austin Martin drew a bases-loaded walk. The second inning continued to unravel for Scott, who walked the leadoff hitter Brooks Lee, followed by a fly out. A balk and a hit batter on an 0-2 count prompted manager Carlos Mendoza to make a decision.

“He didn’t have command,” Mendoza said bluntly. “Couldn’t throw the ball over the plate. The velo was there, but he lost the strike zone. It got kind of hard on him after that.” Scott, who had previously made three starts with Triple-A Syracuse, had shown promise in his last two outings after a shaky first appearance.

“I didn’t really have a good feel for anything today,” Scott admitted. “The fastball was up a lot, cutter was up a lot. Try to make adjustments in the zone and start nibbling. Got away from being competitive in the strike zone like I am. Wasn’t at my best, so learn from it, move on and turn the page.” The last time Scott pitched in the major leagues was on July 21, 2024, when he logged 47.1 innings over nine starts with a 4.56 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, displaying flashes of his potential as one of the Mets’ top prospects.

When asked if nerves played a role in his struggles, Scott was quick to respond, “I don’t think so. I was definitely excited to be here, for sure. … Once I started walking two or three guys, starting to nibble a little bit, start placing the ball in the strike zone instead of being confident with my stuff in the strike zone — wasn’t really who I am as a pitcher. So learn from it, move on and I trust my stuff. I have a lot of confidence that I belong here, so I’ve just got to do a better job of showing that and take advantage of the opportunities I get.”

Looking ahead, Mendoza confirmed that Scott would get another start, stating, “as of right now, yes,” though he acknowledged the Mets’ pitching options were in flux after the bullpen had to cover 7.2 innings on Thursday. “We’ve got to go back here and see where we’re at as far as bullpen for the next few days after being aggressive the past few days here and how much we use those guys. … He’s going to continue to get opportunities. He’s a big part of this team, and he’ll be all right.” Scott is expected to take the mound again next Wednesday against the Washington Nationals.

“I feel like we’re past the ‘checkpoints’ part, really,” Scott said with determination. “I’m just trying to go out there and compete and get as many wins as we possibly can. I felt great physically, so that’s definitely not it — that’s the reason why what happened today. … Learn from it, move on and bounce back.”

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.