NEW YORK -- With 12 games remaining and each of them crucial to the team’s playoff chances, the Mets are whittling down their rotation.

Rather than start Tuesday’s series opener against the Padres, Sean Manaea will move to the bullpen, manager Carlos Mendoza announced Sunday. The Mets expect Manaea to piggyback behind Clay Holmes , who will start that game.

How long each pitcher goes will hinge on a multitude of factors.

“I think it depends what kind of lineup we get and where we’re at in the game,” Mendoza said after the Mets' 5-2 walk-off win over the Rangers . “That’s the plan, but we’ve got to be able to make adjustments and be flexible. We’ve just got to see what we’ve got there.”

It is the continuation of a disjointed year for Manaea, who strained his right oblique in Sprin

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