Photo By Ernest Dove

With Jason Vargas being skipped in the rotation and with him lasting one-third of an inning in his last start, the Mets have been making a series of transactions to fortify their Major League pitching depth. First, it was Corey Oswalt, and then it was Paul Sewald. Now, with the Mets starting a three game series against the Phillies, the team has recalled RHP Drew Gagnon.

Gagnon, 28, has pitched well in his two starts for Syracuse this season. So far, he is 1-0 with a 1.84 ERA, 1.031 WHIP, and a 4.00 K/BB. It will be interesting to see how soon it will be before Gagnon is available to pitch out of the bullpen. He is currently on two days rest after having thrown 87 pitches on Friday.

Last year, Gagnon made four relief appearances and one start for the Mets. As a reliever, he allowed just one run in 7.1 innings.

To make room for Gagnon on the roster, the Mets are demoting infielder Luis Guillorme to Triple-A Syracuse. In eight games this year, Guillorme was 1-for-9 with a walk. With Guillorme’s demotion to Triple-A, Jeff McNeil will likely be the team’s backup shortstop.

It appears the Mets are going to carry an eight man bullpen until Todd Frazier is ready to return from the injured list. With respect to Guillorme’s demotion, it should be noted Frazier has been spending time playing short during his rehabilitation stint in St. Lucie.