Nolan McLean will make his major league debut for the New York Mets on Saturday, a 24-year-old with a five-pitch mix and a mid-to-high-90s fastball. He posted a 2.45 ERA across 21 games in the minors (18 starts) with 127 strikeouts in 113 2/3 innings, a showing that prompted the Mets to give him a big-league opportunity as they try to jumpstart a slipping rotation. McLean’s arrival comes as Frankie Montas shifts to the bullpen after a rough early stretch, creating a clearer path for the rookie to shoulder a meaningful load.

The Mets’ rotation carries a 3.70 ERA but has logged limited innings, relying on six-inning performances only intermittently. Manager Carlos Mendoza and veteran swingman Paul Blackburn praised McLean’s mound maturity, noting his ability to execute a plan and set up hitters. McLean, a Oklahoma State product and the 2023 draft class’ first Mets signee to reach the majors, has thrown at least six innings in nine starts this season and has touched 90 pitches multiple times late in the year.

Fantasy takeaway: count McLean as a high-upside rookie with immediate strikeout potential, but monitor workload and matchup risk. He’ll step into a Mets rotation that could lean on innings early and may be capped by pitch-count considerations. If he delivers, the Mets could unlock a longer leash for the back of their staff and open up deeper streaming opportunities for fantasy managers facing rotation gaps, especially against contending lineups like Atlanta this week.