23-year old righty starting pitcher Kevin Mulvey was the #4 prospect in the Mets’ minor league system coming into this season according to Baseball America. He’s almost ready as he is pitching pretty well in AAA ball this season. He has started 18 games in AAA this year and he is 3-8 with a 3.84 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Mulvey is pitching much better than his record shows and the Mets will have to consider calling him up if they suffer any more injuries in the rotation.

If Salvador Aguilar keeps pitching like he is so far in AA ball the Mets might consider giving him a chance at the big league level. Aguilar is a 26-year old righty swingman who can relieve or start. He has pitched in 22 games (12 starts) in AA ball this season and he is 10-2 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. It will be interesting to see if Aguilar gets a shot if he keeps pitching well with the Mets.

The Mets have to really think about calling up 30-year old righty starting pitcher Tony Armas based on his performance in AAA ball this season. He has started 14 games in AAA ball this season and he is 5-2 with a 2.23 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Armas has only allowed 70 hits while whiffing 75 in 88.2 innings which shows that his stuff is starting to come back. With Orlando Hernandez still a long way from returning from injury, Armas will likely be the next starting pitcher called up by the Mets when they need one.

19-year old righty swinging outfielder Fernando Martinez is off to a very slow start in the minors this season. He is the Mets’ #1 prospect in the system according to Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook. Martinez has played in 31 games in AA-ball this season and he is 33 for 135 (.244 avg, .609 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 1 homer, 9 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. The Mets’ hope that Martinez pays back the Mets’ confidence in his as they refused to include him in the Johan Santana trade this off season.

Pedro Martinez is likely less than a week from returning to the New York Mets. He will have one more minor league start over the weekend and if it goes good he will rejoin the Mets’ rotation next week. Martinez has started 4 games on his rehab assignment in A-ball and the Rookie League and he is 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Martinez has worked 18 innings on rehab and he has allowed 16 hits, walked 4 batters and whiffed 17. The Mets will need him to be on top of his game in September so they can hold off the surging Philadelphia Phillies.