Mets' Sean Manaea to Start MLB Season in Bullpen, Full Starting Pitching Rotation Announced

Sean Manaea is starting the 2026 season in the bullpen after two seasons in the New York Mets' rotation.

The Mets will open the campaign with a rotation of Freddy Peralta, David Peterson, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes and Kodai Senga, manager Carlos Mendoza announced Saturday.

Peralta will match up against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day this Thursday, according to Mendoza.

The Mets are planning to have Manaea split a start with one of those pitchers. but Mendoza said the club doesn't plan to announce which game he will be pitching.

Mendoza also said he expects to run through the rotation at least twice with Manaea in a piggyback role, but that he could potentially slide back into the rotation down the stretch.

"The way we see it is, he's taking that turn right now," Mendoza said about Manaea. "Probably two times through the rotation, because of the schedule, and the off days, we don't feel like we need that sixth starter yet.

"He's going to make starts for us. A couple of times through, making sure guys go through their routine, and we'll revisit when we have to, and maybe it's somebody else's turn, at the time."

Manaea meanwhile said it was "frustrating" to be taking on a bullpen role after he was limited to 15 appearances and 12 starts during his injury-limited 2025 campaign in Queens.

"I consider myself a starter, and to not be that is frustrating," Manaea said Saturday. "But at the end of the day, I'm just going to let my pitching do the work in whatever capacity that is."

The change comes after Manaea, 34, saw his pitch velocity drop in his spring training starts.

Mendoza said last week believed "it might take a while" for Manaea to get up to speed after the oblique and elbow injuries that sidelined him for half of last season.

"He went through a lot last year, you know? And now it's finding the mechanics, the arm slot. There's a lot going on... it might take a few weeks, it might a month, who knows," Mendoza said last Thursday.

Manaea's health, as well as how he pitches in his piggyback role, could both impact the likelihood he gets another start by the time the Mets go through this rotation for a third or fourth time this spring.