Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke on a variety of topics before Saturday night’s meeting with the Brewers. Here’s what he said…

Frank change for Montas

While the Mets are entrusting Frankie Montas to deliver a starter’s workload on Saturday night, the veteran right-hander won’t face the Brewers’ top hitters immediately. Reed Garrett has been assigned as the opener, with Montas slated to follow in bulk relief duty.

The adjustment to Montas’ routine was predictable, as he’s struggled mightily during the first inning this season. In seven starts since coming off the injured list, he owns a bloated 6.43 ERA with three doubles and two home runs allowed in that first frame. Leadoff hitters are also hitting a collective .333 against him.

“It’s not a secret, it’s been a struggle for Frankie the past couple of outings,” Mendoza said. “We’re just trying to go with one of our bullpen arms to face the top of the lineup, and the goal is for Frankie to go through the middle innings and win us a ballgame. The stuff has been there. Now it comes down to executing, pitch selection. That’s what we all need.”

Montas’ delayed entrance in this bulk-relief setup could be beneficial, but the Mets’ patience with him must be wearing thin. The 32-year-old has been largely ineffective on the mound, as he’s given up 12 earned runs across his last two outings (8.1 innings). Montas also hasn’t logged a quality start.

It’s unclear how long Montas’ leash truly is, but the Mets have two budding prospects — Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat — who could assume rotation roles if called upon. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was asked about the future of both youngsters on Friday, and said they’re “putting themselves in the position” for a big-league promotion.

Can Cedric entertain?

The Mets are still waiting to see the All-Star version of Cedric Mullins, who’s hit a measly 1-for-17 (.059) since being acquired in a trade deadline deal with the Orioles less than two weeks ago.

But the veteran outfielder’s early woes in his new uniform aren’t discouraging to Mendoza. He believes Mullins’ timing at the plate is a little off and the six-game slump can be erased soon with consistent at-bats and some adjustments.

“I feel like he’s missing some good fastballs to hit. We know he’s a good hitter,” Mendoza said. “We’ve just got to get him back on track, especially against fastballs… This is a guy who’s been in the league for a long time. As we continue to get to know him, we’ll find out more. But in the meantime, we’re counting on him… There’s a lot he brings to the table.”

It’s been a strange 2025 campaign for Mullins, who’s been the epitome of streaky. In spite of his meager .221 season average, he wrapped up July hitting a sharp .290 with 10 extra-base hits across a 23-game span. The warm weather doesn’t guarantee results, though — he hit just .156 in June.

Blackburn nearing closer

The plan for Paul Blackburn’s potential return to the majors remains unclear, according to Mendoza, but the veteran right-hander took another step forward in his rehab assignment on Friday night.

In his fourth start with Triple-A Syracuse, the 31-year-old allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out three across 5.2 innings. Blackburn also improved to 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA in eight Triple-A outings this season — four have come in his rehab stint that began in mid-July.

“I know he pitched yesterday. I haven’t heard anything from him today,” Mendoza said. “We’ve just got to wait for the next couple of days to see what we’ve got… We’re getting close to make that decision, and we’ll make that decision when we have to. But he continues to feel good. Let’s wait for the next couple of days to see what’s the next step.”

Mendoza also couldn’t offer a clear update on Tylor Megill, who threw live batting practice on Thursday and remains on track ot begin a rehab assignment soon.

Yankees legends played in the once-annual Old Timers’ Day game for the first time since 2019, but one of the franchise’s most beloved players was injured on Saturday.

Mariano Rivera, 55, left the game with an Achilles injury, a Yankees spokesperson confirmed to the Daily News’ Gary Phillips. The severity of the injury is not known, but he did meet with trainers. One of Rivera’s teammates, Roger Clemens, broke the news to Suzyn Waldman during the team’s radio broadcast on WFAN of Saturday’s 5-4 win over the Houston Astros.

“It was a fun day until we heard about Mariano. Mariano hurt his Achilles,” Clemens said. “I don’t know what was going on. We all thought it was a hamstring, but I think it’s a little worse than that. I think he’s at the hospital now. Unbelievable.”

Later, Rivera’s agent told The Athletic that Rivera tore his Achilles

It’s unclear when Rivera was injured. He did lace a single against Andy Pettitte in his only at-bat. Waldman speculated Rivera may have injured his Achilles running to first base. 

However, The Athletic uncovered that in the bottom half of the inning after the single, Rivera was in center field when the Hall of Fame closer fell to the ground when he took a step during a Willie Randolph at-bat.

Of course, this harkens back to 2012 when Rivera tore his ACL shagging fly balls during batting practice in Kansas City. 

The 2025 Old Timers’ Day game not only brought back the fan-favorite exhibition between legends, but was also the 25th anniversary celebration of the 2000 World Series, in which Rivera recorded the final out.

Need the exit velo from this @MarianoRivera single 🔥#OldTimersDaypic.twitter.com/4d00ShrShD

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 9, 2025

Anyone who might snicker at the competitiveness or athletic endeavor of an old-timers’ game should consider what happened to New York Yankees Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera during Saturday’s alumni exhibition. 

Rivera suffered a torn Achilles tendon during the Yankees Old-Timers Game and will undergo surgery to repair the injury, his agent confirmed to The Athletic. 

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Roger Clemens first revealed that Rivera hurt his Achilles tendon while appearing in the WFAN broadcast booth with Suzyn Waldman and Dave Sims. He added that Rivera was being evaluated at a hospital.

Here is the audio of Clemens’ remarks from the WFAN broadcast, via Talkin’ Yanks on X.

“It was a fun day until we just heard about Mariano. Mariano hurt his Achilles,” Clemens said. “I don’t know what was going on. We all thought it was a hamstring, but I think it’s a little worse than that. I think he’s at the hospital now.”

Clemens then joked that he wanted Waldman and Sims to help change the name of “Old-Timers Game” to “Alumni Game” because he and his fellow teammates weren’t that old. Rivera is 55 years old, while Clemens is 63. The Yankees had not held an Old-Timers Game since 2019, according to The Athletic.

A Yankees spokesperson confirmed that Rivera did indeed hurt his Achilles and was examined by trainers. But the severity of the injury was not revealed, via the New York Daily News’ Gary Phillips.

Rivera hit a single off former teammate Andy Pettitte during the exhibition and appeared fine after running to first base. However, he appeared to sustain the injury while playing center field in the bottom of the inning. While Willie Randolph was batting, Rivera took a step in shallow center and then crumpled to the ground, The Athletic reported.

This wasn’t the first time Rivera hurt himself while playing the outfield. In 2013, he tore his ACL while shagging fly balls during batting practice in Kansas City and missed the remaining six months of the season. 

During his 19 seasons, Rivera became MLB’s all-time saves leader with 652. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Prior to Saturday’s Old-Timers/Alumni Game at Yankee Stadium, played before the Yankees faced the Houston Astros, it appeared that Rivera would make news by telling reporters that he planned to speak with current closer Devin Williams and offer advice regarding his recent struggles. 

Rivera did not reveal what exactly he planned to say to Williams, but indicated that it was important for relievers — especially closers — to forget about a bad outing as quickly as possible and maintain confidence. 

“Forget about it,” Rivera said, via the New York Post. “You can’t do nothing about it. What’s done is done. Move on and be confident. You have to be confident in yourself. If you’re not confident in yourself, why are you playing the sport?”

Williams allowed three runs in the Yankees’ 5-3 defeat to the Astros on Friday, serving up a two-run homer to Taylor Trammell in the 10th inning. In his past five appearances, Williams has given up eight runs in 4 2/3 innings. He has allowed 28 earned runs this season, more than he gave up during the past three seasons combined. 

However, because of the Achilles injury, Rivera was not able to speak to Williams, who did not pitch in Saturday’s 5-4 win over the Astros. David Bednar pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to get the win. 

Anyone who might snicker at the competitiveness or athletic endeavor of an old-timers’ game should consider what happened to New York Yankees Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera during Saturday’s alumni exhibition. 

Rivera suffered a torn Achilles tendon during the Yankees Old-Timers Game and will undergo surgery to repair the injury, his agent confirmed to The Athletic. 

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

Roger Clemens first revealed that Rivera hurt his Achilles tendon while appearing in the WFAN broadcast booth with Suzyn Waldman and Dave Sims. He added that Rivera was being evaluated at a hospital.

Here is the audio of Clemens’ remarks from the WFAN broadcast, via Talkin’ Yanks on X.

“It was a fun day until we just heard about Mariano. Mariano hurt his Achilles,” Clemens said. “I don’t know what was going on. We all thought it was a hamstring, but I think it’s a little worse than that. I think he’s at the hospital now.”

Clemens then joked that he wanted Waldman and Sims to help change the name of “Old-Timers Game” to “Alumni Game” because he and his fellow teammates weren’t that old. Rivera is 55 years old, while Clemens is 63. The Yankees had not held an Old-Timers Game since 2019, according to The Athletic.

A Yankees spokesperson confirmed that Rivera did indeed hurt his Achilles and was examined by trainers. But the severity of the injury was not revealed, via the New York Daily News’ Gary Phillips.

Rivera hit a single off former teammate Andy Pettitte during the exhibition and appeared fine after running to first base. However, he appeared to sustain the injury while playing center field in the bottom of the inning. While Willie Randolph was batting, Rivera took a step in shallow center and then crumpled to the ground, The Athletic reported.

This wasn’t the first time Rivera hurt himself while playing the outfield. In 2013, he tore his ACL while shagging fly balls during batting practice in Kansas City and missed the remaining six months of the season. 

During his 19 seasons, Rivera became MLB’s all-time saves leader with 652. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Prior to Saturday’s Old-Timers/Alumni Game at Yankee Stadium, played before the Yankees faced the Houston Astros, it appeared that Rivera would make news by telling reporters that he planned to speak with current closer Devin Williams and offer advice regarding his recent struggles. 

Rivera did not reveal what exactly he planned to say to Williams, but indicated that it was important for relievers — especially closers — to forget about a bad outing as quickly as possible and maintain confidence. 

“Forget about it,” Rivera said, via the New York Post. “You can’t do nothing about it. What’s done is done. Move on and be confident. You have to be confident in yourself. If you’re not confident in yourself, why are you playing the sport?”

Williams allowed three runs in the Yankees’ 5-3 defeat to the Astros on Friday, serving up a two-run homer to Taylor Trammell in the 10th inning. In his past five appearances, Williams has given up eight runs in 4 2/3 innings. He has allowed 28 earned runs this season, more than he gave up during the past three seasons combined. 

However, because of the Achilles injury, Rivera was not able to speak to Williams, who did not pitch in Saturday’s 5-4 win over the Astros. David Bednar pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to get the win.