New York Mets reliever Kyle Crick (calf) is out of his walking boot and is making progress toward throwing. Crick suffered a calf strain in camp two weeks before the opening of spring training, but he thinks he should be game-ready in another three to four weeks. His goal remains breaking camp on a roster in the organization, although he may have to stay back in Port St. Lucie, Fla., to build up beyond the end of spring training. The 31-year-old is in camp with the Mets as a non-roster invitee, so there's no guarantee he'll stick with the organization for the start of the 2024 regular season. He did not pitch with a team in 2023 and is out of minor-league options.

New York Mets right-hander Tylor Megill has looked good so far in spring training, giving up only one run while striking out seven and walking none in five innings so far. Last spring, he walked 13 hitters in 17 innings. "I couldn't be prouder of Tylor and his offseason and how he took ownership of it," pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said. "It goes back to his mentality toward the end of the season going into the offseason a real clear view of who he is, what he's trying to do, what his pitches do, how to use his pitches. For me, that's empowering." Megill is also operating with a new splitter this year as he looks to solidify his spot at the back end of New York's starting rotation to start the new season. The 28-year-old was very mediocre in 25 starts for the Mets last year with only an 18.5% strikeout rate.

New York Mets right-hander Adrian Houser has been familiarizing himself with a tinkered grip on his changeup while making mechanical tweaks to his slider in spring training. His second Grapefruit League start on Sunday against the Astros didn't go so smooth, as he allowed a lot of hard contact in 1 2/3 innings of work. Houser had been unhappy with his slider in his first start and he's been working on a more direct path with his arm to keep his slider from getting loopy. Only five of his 13 sliders on Sunday were thrown for strikes, and he didn't get any whiffs on it either, so it's clear it's still a work in progress. Especially given Kodai Senga's (shoulder) injury, the Mets are hoping the 31-year-old Houser can step up to help solidify the back end of their rotation to begin the 2024 season.

New York Mets right-hander Luis Severino is penciled in as the No. 2 starter behind lefty Jose Quintana to open the 2024 season. He looked sharp in his Grapefruit League debut last week, touching 98 mph on his final pitch while showing good ride on his fastball early on. Severino's mechanics got a little out of whack in his second inning of work, but the Mets aren't concerned at this point. The sinker that he added late last year was moving more down than in to right-handed hitters, and he's working on getting more of that arm-side run to make the pitch effective. The 30-year-old was hurt by injuries in his final season with the Yankees in 2023 and finished with a rough 6.65 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in just 89 1/3 innings, but with better health, he could bounce back and be a worthwhile streaming option in deeper fantasy leagues.

New York Mets veteran left-hander Jose Quintana appears slated to be the team's Opening Day starter in 2024. He made an Opening Day start with the Chicago White Sox in 2017 and allowed three home runs and six runs total in a loss to the Tigers. Quintana didn't finish the second inning in his first Grapefruit League start last Thursday to mostly Astros starters. He missed the first half of 2023 with a rib injury and threw 75 2/3 innings total last year, but he said he shouldn't have any problems working back toward 180 innings or more in 2024. Kodai Senga (shoulder) is expected to miss at least the first month of the season, so the Mets will need some pitchers to step up at the top of their rotation in his absence. The 35-year-old Quintana is an extreme health risk, as he's gone over 100 innings just once in the last four years.