On Saturday afternoon, the Mets announced that Montas was placed on the 15-day injured list — retroactive to Aug. 22 — with a UCL-related injury in his right elbow. In a corresponding move, right-handed reliever Huascar Brazobán was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.

Montas, 32, signed a two-year, $34 million deal in December after posting encouraging numbers over the second half of 2024 with the Milwaukee Brewers. A high-grade right lat strain at the beginning of spring training delayed his Mets debut until the summer. He posted a 12.05 ERA over six rehab starts leading up to his June 24 return, and he has struggled to figure things out in Queens since.

The veteran right-hander was bumped out of the starting rotation shortly after his bulk relief outing on Aug. 9, when he exited after throwing 72 pitches in three innings. On the season, Montas produced a 6.28 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, and 7.4 K/9 rate across 38.2 innings. He gave up one run over two frames in his last relief appearance on Aug. 15.

Montas, who is the second-highest-paid starter on the Mets in terms of average annual value, was replaced in the rotation by top pitching prospect Nolan McLean. Through his first two MLB starts, the 24-year-old right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 12.1 innings.

According to Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, Montas’ UCL injury is “pretty significant” and could require Tommy John surgery. He is done for the season. His contract includes a $17 million player option for 2026.

Brazobán, 35, has pitched to a 3.83 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 51.2 big league innings this season. The Mets optioned him to Triple-A at the end of July following a string of ineffective outings; he gave up one run on three hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning in his last appearance.

Since then, Brazobán has made seven appearances for Syracuse, allowing eight runs on 13 hits and two walks over 10.2 innings. Most of that damage came in his third outing, when he allowed seven runs in a single inning. In his most recent appearance on Aug. 20, the right-hander struck out four and allowed just one hit across two scoreless frames.

With Montas sidelined and the back end of the bullpen now reshaped, the Mets will likely count on Brazobán to provide bulk innings. Their previous long-relief depth included José Buttó and Paul Blackburn, who now pitch elsewhere. Brandon Waddell has also filled that role this season, but he threw 79 pitches with Syracuse on Wednesday.

The Mets have previously discussed the possibility of using top starting pitching prospects such as Brandon Sproat in shorter bullpen roles if needed. During his time with the Brewers, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns broke in future top starters Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, and Freddy Peralta as relievers for teams in the playoff hunt.