Minor League Mondays: What Jack Wenninger Needs To Do To Reach The Majors

The back of the New York Mets' rotation has been a bit of a question mark over the past few weeks. An injury to Clay Holmes created one hole while David Peterson's demotion to the bullpen created another. While Sean Manaea and Jonah Tong get the first cracks at those slots, another pitching prospect is waiting in the wings for his turn in Flushing. That guy is right-hander Jack Wenninger, the focus of this week's edition of Minor League Mondays.

Jack Wenninger is hoping to make his major league debut with the Mets this season.

Wenninger, 24, was the Mets' sixth-round pick in 2023 out of Illinois. The Mets gave Wenninger a below-slot deal but saw him become a player development win in 2024, when he posted a 4.30 ERA across two levels while racking up 140 strikeouts in 115 innings pitched. Impressed by what they saw, the Mets pushed Wenninger up to AA Binghamton last season, where he built on that success with a 12-6 record in 26 starts. Wenninger worked 135.2 innings for the Rumble Ponies, pitching to a 2.92 ERA and punching out 147 batters while walking 42.

An impressive spring training display marked a positive mark for Wenninger as he began the year with AAA Syracuse. Wenninger got off to another fast start with Syracuse, working to a 1.08 ERA in his first seven starts, but a recent rough patch has seen Wenninger's ERA rise to its current 2.80 mark.

So far this year Wenninger is 3-3 with 46 strikeouts in 45 innings pitched this season. The big concern for Wenninger right now is his increased walk rate as he has issued 25 free passes so far this season. That is a significant escalation from the 42 walks he issued in nearly 100 more innings last season, which is something Wenninger will need to clean up if he is going to reach Flushing this season.

The highlights of Wenninger's arsenal are a solid fastball and a deadly splitter that sits in the mid-80s with wicked movement. Wenninger also utilizes a slider and a curveball, but his two best pitches are the fastball and that splitter.

Scouts do like the potential for Wenninger, who is currently rated as the Mets' fifth-best prospect according to MLB.com, to be a back of the rotation starter with his current repertoire. Finding a way to develop a third quality pitch, either by improving one of his current offerings or adding a new one, could raise Wenninger's ceiling even further.

The Mets do have the luxury to let Wenninger keep working in AAA since they do feel comfortable letting Tong and Manaea patch their current holes in the rotation. Zach Thornton, who made his major league debut in Washington in mid-May, also figures to be in the mix for start so Wenninger will have to earn his big league opportunities through strong performance.

Things could open up for Wenninger if the Mets can't recover from the early hole they dug themselves, which could lead to a deadline sale. If the Mets move on from Holmes and Freddy Peralta, for example, it could open the door for Wenninger to get a look at the big league level in the second half.

The hope here, however, is that Wenninger can stabilize his walk rate and push to earn his way to the bigs sooner rather than later. Two rough outings in a row have dulled Wenninger's momentum, but he isn't that far away from making his big league debut.