Sosa may get rotation shot

For five weeks, the castaway right-hander provided consistent performances, not to mention six victories in seven starts. Now, with the Mets less than a week from the beginning of their regular season, a similar problem exists. And the club is looking in the same direction for a solution.

Neither Orlando Hernandez nor Mike Pelfrey, thought to be the lone candidates for the fifth slot in the Mets' rotation, has distinguished himself; together they have created an opportunity for Sosa. A person in the Mets hierarchy indicated Tuesday that the club is considering Sosa for the seemingly unclaimed No. 5 assignment, noting that the recently improved relief work of Joe Smith and the swing-and-miss pitches of Brian Stokes have the Mets thinking they can afford to remove Sosa from the bullpen alignment.