Mets' Paul Blackburn: Still in rotation mix

Blackburn gave up three runs on five hits and two walks over 2.1 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Nationals. He failed to strike out a batter.

While his final line was sketchy, Blackburn blanked the Nats through two innings before running out of gas in the third and serving up homers to CJ Abrams and James Wood. The right-hander appears to be on the outside looking in for a spot on the Opening Day rotation even with Sean Manaea (oblique) and Frankie Montas (lat) sidelined to begin the season, but with the Mets planning to deploy a six-man rotation somewhat liberally in 2025, Blackburn should get starting opportunities over the summer.