Mets prospect Nolan McLean turns in another stellar outing for Triple-A Syracuse

It's become like clockwork for Mets prospect Nolan McLean.

When he takes the ball, good things happen.

On Sunday for Triple-A Syracuse, McLean piggybacked the rehabbing Frankie Montas and was fantastic over 5.1 innings.

McLean allowed one run on two hits while walking two and striking out four, lowering his ERA for the season to a sparkling 1.98.

In 11 games this season, McLean -- whose first five starts came for Double-A Binghamton before a promotion to Syracuse ahead of his appearance on May 9 -- has allowed more than two runs just twice.

He has been particularly nasty since joining Triple-A, surrendering only nine runs in 32.2 innings.

As McLean continues to dominate, the question of when his big league debut might come will start to percolate.

Right now, the Mets are pitching-rich in the big league starting rotation.

Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, and Griffin Canning are legitimate All-Star Game candidates, and Tylor Megill has held his own.

They also have depth with Paul Blackburn, who is currently pitching in relief after making one recent start when the Mets briefly went to a six-man rotation.

Beyond those six starters are Montas (whose rehab window is about to close) and Sean Manaea, who just started his rehab assignment.

If all of the Mets' current starting pitching options remain healthy and productive, and the club gets Montas and Manaea back soon, it's hard to see how they would fit McLean on the team in the near future.

However, it's also fair to wonder if the Mets would be comfortable essentially wasting McLean's bullets in the minors once he's deemed ready for the majors.