Seth Lugo took advantage of his chance to start after the Mets' disappointment

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Seth Lugo has repeatedly told the Mets that he could be a good starting pitcher.

Luis Rojas – who first managed Lugo in the Mets' minor league system in 2013 and later again in Queens in 2020 and 2021 – believed those words long before the indisputable evidence of the last two seasons, which led to the biggest start of his career on Wednesday against the Royals the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALDS.

“He became one of those elite bullpen guys in baseball — a multi-inning guy, sometimes even a closer,” Rojas told The Post during batting practice. “But he always pushed to be a starter. I remember those conversations with him.”

Rojas watched from afar as Lugo capitalized when the Padres let him start last season and then became a Cy Young Award candidate by going 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA and 206 strikeouts for the Royals.

As the Yankees' third base coach, he got an up-close look at it on Wednesday.

“From a health standpoint, we knew it was better for him and we tried to find a spot, but we just didn't have a spot with the Mets at the time,” Rojas said. “We had planned in advance that he would be at some point, but we could also use him in the bullpen. I'm glad he got the opportunity and showed what he can do. I can speak for a lot of people who have also said he should start, but that doesn’t really surprise me.”

Lugo has earned a telling nickname among his Royals teammates.

“He attacks hitters every 27 pitches he has,” quipped shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. “I call him 'The Surgeon' because he attacks and cuts hitters to pieces. It’s a lot of fun to watch and see how consistent he’s been on defense all year.”

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Rojas advocated for Lugo to move into the rotation at the expense of Robert Gsellman during the shortened 2020 season, but his success as a backup didn't translate.

Opposing batters hit .296 with seven home runs in 120 plate appearances and his ERA rose to 6.15.

“It was a difficult situation for him because he started in the bullpen and was trying to stretch in the middle of the season,” Rojas said. “But he asked me to do it and we did it.”

In 2021, he was in the bullpen for 46 appearances.

“He’s a really smart person,” Rojas said. “He wrote his excursions. Think about what he would do to each batter and adjust mid-game if necessary. I thought that was something special. There aren't many people who do that: they write down what a hitter's tendencies are, but not what they're going to do to him. That caught my attention.”

Michael Wacha was a teammate of Lugo in New York, San Diego and Kansas City.

He remembers Lugo always preparing like a starter who could “spin the crap out of the ball.”

The Mets' loss could be a thorn in the Yankees' side in this series, possibly even from the bullpen in Game 5.

“He’s a guy who’s always confident in what he’s going to do to a hitter,” Rojas said. “He is a competitor and we look forward to a tough challenge.”