José Buttó

José Alejandro Buttó (born March 19, 1998) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Career
Buttó signed with the New York Mets as an international free agent on June 2, 2017. He made his professional debut with the Dominican Summer League Mets, posting a 1.44 ERA across 15 appearances (8 starts). In 2018, he split time between the rookie–level Kingsport Mets and Low–A Brooklyn Cyclones, making 12 appearances (11 starts) and recording a 3.86 ERA with 55 strikeouts in $60 2⁄3$ innings of work.

Buttó spent the entirety of the 2019 season with the Single–A Columbia Fireflies. In 27 games (25 starts), he went 4–10 with a 3.62 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 112.0 innings pitched. Buttó did not play in 2020, as the minor league season was cancelled after the COVID-19 pandemic struck. He returned to action in 2021, making 20 combined starts between High–A Brooklyn and the Double–A Binghamton Mets. In $98 2⁄3$ innings of work, Buttó posted a 4–6 record and 3.83 ERA with 110 strikeouts.

On November 19, 2021, the Mets added Buttó to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Buttó was assigned to the Double–A Binghamton Mets to begin the 2022 season, and posted a 6–5 record and 4.00 ERA with 108 strikeouts across 20 games (18 starts).

On August 21, 2022, Buttó was promoted to the major leagues for the first time, to make a spot start against the Philadelphia Phillies. In his debut, Buttó allowed 7 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks across 4.0 innings of work. He was optioned back to Triple–A Syracuse the following day. In 8 games (7 starts) for Syracuse, Buttó registered a 2.45 ERA with 30 strikeouts in $36 2⁄3$ innings pitched.

Buttó was optioned to the Triple-A Syracuse Mets to begin the 2023 season. He returned to the major leagues several times across the season, with his longest stay coming after the September roster expansion. Over 9 games (7 starts) for the major league team in 2023, Buttó recorded a 1–4 record and a 3.64 ERA, with 38 strikeouts across 42 innings pitched.

Buttó was again optioned to Triple–A Syracuse to begin the 2024 season after he was beaten out by Tylor Megill for the final rotation spot. After injuries to multiple members of the Mets' starting staff, Buttó was quickly brought back to the major leagues on April 4 as the 27th man on the roster to start one game of that day's doubleheader. Buttó pitched well, but was immediately returned to AAA after the game. Promoted again to the Mets ten days later, Buttó again impressed; after two starts he had no decisions, but in 12 innings had struck out 15, allowing only nine baserunners. After the game, Carlos Mendoza told the media that Buttó had earned more opportunities. In seven starts before being sent down to Syracuse on May 14, he posted a 3.08 ERA (4.16 WHIP) and 1.13 WHIP while striking out 38 batters in 38.0 innings.

On July 2, 2024, Buttó was called up from Syracuse to replace reliever Tyler Jay in the depleted bullpen. That day he pitched two scoreless innings and got the win in a 7-2 game against the Washington Nationals.“We see him as a starter, but he’s got that ability to help us out of the ‘pen as well,” Mendoza said. He recorded his first major league save on July 10 in a 6-2 win over the Nationals.