39 Jerry Blevins RP

Blevins returned from paternity leave Friday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Blevins had been out since Tuesday for the birth of his child. He'll return to his role as the primary left-hander in the Mets' bullpen. A corresponding move has not yet been announced.

Blevins was placed on the paternity list Tuesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Blevins will miss the next two or three games in order to attend the birth of his child. The Mets have Thursday off, so he will return to to the team on either Wednesday or Friday. Buddy Baumann has been recalled from Triple-A, and he will be the left-handed option in the bullpen while Blevins is away.

Blevins is expected to be placed on the paternity list at some point this week as he awaits the birth of his child, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Reliever Buddy Baumann, who was technically optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday, remains with the Mets on the taxi squad and will presumably be added back to the active roster once Blevins is formally placed on the paternity list. Blevins has been the Mets' go-to lefty out of the bullpen this season, but he's scuffled more than usual through the first month and a half of the campaign. He has given up five runs and has posted a 5:5 K:BB across eight innings through his 18 appearances.

Blevins struck out one in two-thirds of an inning during Sunday's loss to the Rockies.

It's the veteran reliever's sixth straight scoreless appearance. Blevins' 5.87 ERA and 1.57 WHIP look bad, but four of the five runs he's given up this season came in a single game against the Braves on April 19. His 87.8 mph fastball is the slowest of his career and his 5.9 K/9 is far below his usual rate, but Blevins still seems capable of handling the lefty specialist role in the Mets bullpen.

Blevins has a 2.84 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 6:2 K:BB through 6.1 innings this spring.

The ERA and WHIP don't mean much given the sample size, but Blevins' strong K:BB indicates he's ready for the games to start counting. The veteran LOOGY will fill his usual role in the Mets' bullpen in 2018, one that has allowed him to record 35 holds over the last two seasons.