Mets' deGrom reportedly could return in a relief role sooner than later

The shaggy-haired right-hander is nearing his return

The Mets entered Monday leading the second wild-card race by a half game, and may have help on the way.

Right-hander Jacob deGrom, out since Sept. 1 with a sore forearm, threw a successful bullpen session on Monday -- and reportedly could return in a relief role sooner than later, per Anthony DiComo:

For now, the Mets are anxious to see how deGrom's arm feels Tuesday, the day after his bullpen session. But even if deGrom experiences minimal soreness, he is not stretched out enough to assume a full starter's workload five days from Monday, when his rotation turn -- currently Rafael Montero's spot -- comes up again. That is why the Mets hope to start him in the bullpen, knowing also that game action is a different animal than afternoon bullpen sessions.

Score this an example of September's expanded rosters potentially benefiting a contending team.

If this were June or even August, the Mets would send deGrom on a lengthy rehab assignment that sees him gradually amp up his pitch counts. Granted, that route would have its advantages, but consider that the Mets can now benefit from deGrom getting back into starting shape by virtue of using him out of the bullpen, where he should be an asset -- and likely a multi-inning one, which should come in handy.

Assuming deGrom works his way back into starting shape, he figures to bump Rafael Montero from the rotation. The Mets could conceivably shift Seth Lugo or Robert Gsellman to the bullpen instead, but that seems unlikely. Whenever deGrom makes his next appearance, and whoever he eventually replaces in the rotation, he'll enter with a 3.04 ERA (a 132 ERA+) and a 3.97 strikeout-to-walk ratio.