Walker replaces injured Rodríguez on Mets’ wild-card roster

NEW YORK (AP) — Taijuan Walker replaced injured reliever Joely Rodríguez on the New York Mets’ wild-card series roster ahead of Game 2 against the San Diego Padres on Saturday night.

With the Mets down 1-0 and facing elimination in the best-of-three playoff, Major League Baseball announced Saturday evening it approved the move.

Rodríguez was sidelined by a shoulder issue and won’t be eligible to return unless the Mets reach the NL Championship Series. The left-hander was 2-4 with a 4.47 ERA in 55 appearances this season. He did not pitch in Friday night’s 7-1 loss to San Diego in the series opener at Citi Field.

Walker, a regular starter, was initially left off the series roster after throwing 81 pitches over 4 1/3 scoreless innings Tuesday against Washington in his final outing of the regular season.

The right-hander was 12-5 with a 3.49 ERA in 29 starts this year. He made the NL All-Star team in 2021 with the Mets but then faded badly in the second half.

The move leaves the Mets with one left-hander in the bullpen: David Peterson. He struck out two in a hitless inning Friday night.

MLB must approve all injury-related roster substitutions in the postseason.

In a news release, the commissioner’s office said MLB Medical Director Dr. Gary Green “confirmed the injury after communicating with the evaluating physician.”

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