NEW YORK -- Paul Blackburn had already fallen asleep in his Syracuse, N.Y., hotel room late Tuesday when Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner tried to call him. With his phone on silent, Blackburn missed the call. About 15 minutes later, he awoke to banging on his door.
Quick change of plans: the Mets wanted Blackburn to return to New York as a long man out of his bullpen.
"I was definitely surprised,” Blackburn said the following afternoon. “Good to be back.”
Thus ended Blackburn’s purgatorial stint on the injured list, where he landed six weeks ago due to a right shoulder impingement. Though Blackburn has been healthy enough to throw four full rehab starts at Triple-A Syracuse, the Mets kept him confined to the IL as they sought an opportunity to work him back onto their pitching staff.
The situation finally turned Tuesday night, when fellow long man Justin Hagenman pitched the final four innings of a blowout win over the Braves. With Hagenman likely unavailable for several days, the Mets optioned him to Syracuse and activated Blackburn to take his place.
It was just the latest chapter in a bizarre calendar year for Blackburn, one of the Mets’ acquisitions at the 2024 Trade Deadline. Last year, Blackburn missed all of September and the Mets’ playoff run due to a spinal fluid leak in his back. He then sat out the bulk of this season due to a right knee injury, an illness, and his shoulder impingement.
In between those trials, Blackburn struggled to find consistent form, producing a 7.71 ERA over four starts and two relief appearances.
“It’s been weird,” he said. “That’s all I can really say about it.”
A nine-year Major League veteran, Blackburn still feels he has more to give at age 31. He also understands the situation he’s facing. On Saturday, the Mets will activate rookie and top pitching prospect Nolan McLean for his Major League debut, which will force them to jettison another pitcher. Barring injury, Blackburn stands out as the most likely candidate to go. But he’s out of Minor League options, meaning the Mets would need to designate him for assignment to make the pieces fit.
None of that is guaranteed to pass, of course; at this level, things can change in a hurry. Either way, Blackburn should have one last chance before now and Saturday to make an impression.
"I just want to pitch,” he said. “I just want to be in a place and pitch. That’s it. I’ve been on a flight every two days the last month. I just want to be somewhere and pitch.”