What to Know About New York Mets Prospect Jose Butto

With Taijuan Walker unable to make his start on Sunday due to a bulging disc in his back, the Mets will turn to a youngster in a series deciding matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies.

No. 15 ranked prospect Jose Butto will make his major league debut this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.

Butto spent most of his 2022 campaign with Double-A Binghamton before recently getting promoted to Triple-A Syracuse, where he made two appearances. The righty has gone 6-6 with a 4.12 ERA and 111 strikeouts overall this season across two levels in the minor leagues.

According to MLB Pipeline’s scouting report, the 24-year-old has a solid fastball-changeup combo, and is a strike thrower. However, his curveball sits in the low-80s and lacks bite.

Butto’s name was brought up in trade conversations ahead of the August 2 deadline, but the Mets were able to hang on to him. Now, the young righty will take the ball in the big leagues for the first time this afternoon as New York aims to take three out of four games from the Phillies.

As for the Walker, Mets manager Buck Showalter expressed optimism that the hurler will not require a stint on the IL, and might be able to pitch sometime this week, per multiple reports. 

Read More:

- Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt Have Taken Mets Rotation to Next Level

- Mets Should Take Flier on Ken Giles

- Mets Claim Yolmer Sánchez, Designate Patrick Mazeika For Assignment

Follow Pat Ragazzo on Twitter (@ragazzoreport), be sure to bookmark Inside The Mets and check back daily for news, analysis and more.