The Mets’ youth pitching movement will have a third wave.
Top prospect Brandon Sproat is being promoted to start Sunday’s road series finale against the Reds, The Post confirmed.
Sproat will join fellow rookies Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong in the rotation, with both recently earning their call-ups and the Mets undefeated in their five cumulative starts.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Sunday that Sproat had been sending the team a message about his readiness.
Sproat, 24, is 8-6 with a 4.24 ERA for Triple-A Syracuse this season spanning 121 innings, tallying 113 strikeouts in 25 starts (26 games).
“We’re watching,” Mendoza said. “It’s good to see those guys continue to put themselves in a position where, ‘Hey, if there’s a need, I’m here.’ And I think that was a message from Sproat [Saturday] to all of us here. Like, ‘Hey, man, I can do this, too.”
Promoting Sproat continues the Mets’ theme of turning to their prized prospects at a time when the veterans are not getting the job done.
The team is considering a minor league assignment for Kodai Senga that he would have to accept, Sean Manaea has struggled after returning from injury, Clay Holmes has been inconsistent in the second half and David Peterson has not been as effective lately.
McLean, meanwhile, has galvanized the team by going 4-0 with a 1.37 ERA in his first four starts.
Tong, set for this second start Saturday against the Reds, earned the win in his debut last Friday against the Marlins.
Sproat, a second-round pick in 2023, will try to mirror their success.
He’s posted a 3.83 ERA in the minors, although he’s experienced some ups and downs this season while pitching for the team’s highest affiliate.
By starting him Sunday against Cincinnai, it seems the Mets are pushing back McLean for the important four-game series in Philadelphia starting next Monday.
The team had been leaning toward starting McLean on Sunday on regular rest rather than starting Senga, The Post’s Mike Puma reported Tuesday.
The Mets are four games ahead of the Giants for the third and final wild card spot, with the Reds — who they face Friday through Sunday — five games behind.
The Phillies lead the Mets by 5 1/2 games in the NL East.
