Mets Roster Central: The Bloody End of Spring Training

[Edgy MD]

When spring training ends, the preparation for the regular season's start, and the roster accounting that entails, brings forth a spontaneous explosion of Injured List assignments. Many of these players had likely been injured for weeks or more, but as it all had gone largely unreported on, the effect is that of a meteor collision striking down in St. Lucie, tearing menisci and rupturing hamstrings all over town at once. And the depth chart fans had counted on is thrown into disarray.

Transactions, 3/16/2026

GOING

Released

Outfielders

Hector Francis

L/L DoB: 39366 High Level: MLB (2025)

When a minor-leaguer gets released mid-camp, one wonders what infraction he triggered. Did he sleep through a wake-up call and miss a bus? Did he cross the wrong coach at the wrong time? Fall down during a drill.

While any of that might be possible in the case of Hector Francis, the truth is that a .153 batting average in 67 Dominican Summer League plate appearances is not the guarantee of future employment it used to be. Maybe young Hector was not at very bottom of the list of paid servants of the House of Wilpon, but he was probably at low end of the outfielder totem pole. And that, sadly, led to him being sent home early.

Without so much as a thumbnail photo in circulation to represent his brief career.

And now, on to the end-of-camp triage report.

End-of-Camp IL Assignments

• 03/18/26 Binghamton Rumble Ponies placed RHP Joshua Cornielly on the 60-day injured list.
• 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed LHP Ryan Ammons on the 60-day injured list.
• 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed SS Boston Baro on the 60-day injured list.
• 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed RHP Austin Troesser on the full-season injured list.
• 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed RHP Owen Woodward on the 60-day injured list.
• 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed LHP Eli Ankeney on the full-season injured list.
• 03/18/26 FCL Mets placed RHP Peter Kussow on the full-season injured list.
• 03/18/26 FCL Mets placed RHP Peyton Prescott on the 60-day injured list.
• 03/18/26 FCL Mets placed C Daniel Silva on the 60-day injured list.
• 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed RHP Ethan Lanthier on the 60-day injured list.
• 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed RHP Edgar Moreta on the 60-day injured list.
• 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed RHP Jace Hampson on the 60-day injured list.
• 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed SS Trey Snyder on the 60-day injured list.
• 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed RHP Candido Cuevas on the 60-day injured list.
• 03/18/26 Syracuse Mets placed RHP Kevin Herget on the 60-day injured list.
• 03/18/26 Syracuse Mets placed RHP Robert Stock on the 60-day injured list.
• 03/18/26 Syracuse Mets placed 3B Grae Kessinger on the 60-day injured list.

While Mets Roster Central researchers are hard at work trying to get to the bottom of who Peter Kossow is (was?), we can't help but feel that there is a lesson in here for you kids. If you want to be a professional baseball player — if it's March 18, don't pick up the phone, don't check your e-mail, don't even turn on the light switch if you can help it.

Which brings us on to the (very) small amount of drama from yesterday.

 

Transactions, 3/22/2026

GOING

Released

Catchers

Austin Barnes

R/R DoB: 1989-12-28 High Level: MLB (2025)

 

Austin Barnes has been a backup catcher for the bulk of 11 years, all while playing for a single team (The Los Angeles Dodgers). And while an old-fashioned Ron Hodges Special of a career may not be laced through and through with glory, it is undeniably elegant. So while Barnes's presence in Mets camp was mostly insurance against a cascade breakdown in catcher health on the Mets roster, Mets Roster Central is pleased for more than one reason that this did not come to pass.

Barnes' release likely comes at his request, probably based on an agreement the Mets made when bringing him on board. Getting jettisoned a few days before the start of the season gives him a fighting hope at catching on with some team, that finds themselves at loose ends for reserve catchers, and we can't help but hope that the such team might be the Dodgers (as indirectly unkind as that might be to the hopes of Barnes and current Dodger catchers Will Smith and Dalton Rushing).

The Barnes release leaves four non-roster players hanging around as the Mets mop up camp, but as Craig Kimbrel has been told he has not made the roster, and Mike Tauchman is confronting surgery on his torn meniscus, for practical purposes, only Carson Benge and Cristian Pache remain as the Mets weigh their outfield options.

Your Mets Coaching Staff

Manager	Bench Coach	Pitching Coach	Hitting Coordinator	Third Base Coach	First Base Coach	Bullpen Coach	Ass't Pitching Coach
Carlos Mendoza	Kai Correa	Justin Willard	Jeff Albert	Tim Leiper	Gilbert Gomez	José Rosado	Dan McKinney
DoB: 1979-11-27	DoB: 1989-07-14	DoB: 1990-09-09	DoB: 1992-08-16	DoB: 1996-07-19	DoB: 1992-03-08	DoB: 1974-11-09	DoB: 1989-06-06
Hitting Coach	Strategy Coach	Catching Coach	Coaching Assistant	Bat'g Practice Pitcher	Equipment Manager	Bullpen Catchers	Bullpen Catchers
Troy Snitker	Danny Barnes	J.P. Arencibia	Rafael Fernandez	Kevin Mahoney	Kevin Kierst	Eric Langill	Dave Racaniello
DoB: 1988-12-05	DoB: 1989-10021	DoB: 1986-01-05	DoB: 1988-08-03	DoB: 1987-05-11	DoB: 1964-07-09	DoB: 1979-04-09	DoB: 1978-06-03

Your Mets Training Staff

Director of Player Health	Head Athletic Trainer	Assistant Athletic Trainer	Reconditioning Coordinator	Reconditioning Therapist	Head Performance Coach	Assistant Performance Coach	Performance Coordinator
Brian Chicklo	Joseph Golia	Bryan Baca	Sean Bardanett	Josh Bickel	Dustin Clarke	Tanner Miracle	Jeremy Chiang
DoB: 1972-07-17	DoB: 1978-??-??	DoB: Circa 1980	DoB: 1988-06-23	DoB: 1996-??-??	DoB: 1987-??-??	DoB: 1991-??-??	DoB: ????-??-??

Your 2026 New York Mets

	Starting Pitchers
	Clay Holmes	Nolan McLean	Freddy Peralta	David Peterson	Kodai Senga
	R/R DoB: 1993-03-27	R/R DoB: 2001-07-24	R/R DoB: 2996-06-04	L/L DoB: 1995-09-03	L/R DoB: 1993-01-30
Relief Pitchers
Huascar Brazobán	Luis Garcia	Bryan Hudson	Sean Manaea	Tobias Myers	Brooks Raley	Luke Weaver
R/R DoB: 1989-10-15	R/R DoB: 1987-01-30	L/L DoB: 1997-05-08	R/L DoB: 1992-02-01	R/R DoB: 1998-08-05	L/L DoB: 1988-06-29	R/R DoB: 1993-08-21
Relief Pitchers	Catchers		Infielders
Devin Williams	Francisco Alvarez	Luís Torrens	Bo Bichette	Vidal Brujan	Francisco Lindor	Jorge Polanco
R/R DoB: 1994-09-21	R/R DoB: 2001-11-01	R/R DoB: 1996-05-02	R/R DoB: 1998-03-05	S/R DoB: 1998-02-09	S/R DoB: 1993-11-14	S/R DoB: 1999-11-13
Infielders		Outfielders
Marcus Semien	Mark Vientos	Brett Baty	Luis Robert, Jr.	Juan Soto	Tyrone Taylor	Jared Young
R/R DoB: 1990-09-17	R/R DoB: 1993-12-11	L/R DoB: 1999-11-13	R/R DoB: 1997-08-03	L/L DoB: 36093	R/R DoB: 34356	L/R DoB: 1995-07-09

Also on 40-Player Roster

Starting Pitchers			Starting Pitchers			Relief Pitchers
Tylor Megill	Christian Scott	Jonah Tong	Alex Carrillo	Reed Garrett	Joey Gerber	Justin Hagenman
R/R DoB: 1995-07-28	R/R DoB: 1999-06-15	R/R DoB: 2003-06-19	R/R DoB: 1997-06-06	R/R DoB: 1993-01-02	R/R DoB: 1997-05-03	R/R DoB: 1996-10-07
On 60-Day Injured List with torn right UCL.	In minor-league camp. Projected for Syracuse.	In minor-league camp. Projected for Syracuse.	In minor-league camp. Projected for St. Lucie.	On 60-Day Injured List — right UCL surgery and nerve relocation surgery.	Projected for Brooklyn.	On 60 Day Injured List with fractured rib.
Relief Pitchers						Catchers
Richard Lovelady	A.J. Minter	Dedniel Núñez	Jonathan Pintaro	Dylan Ross	Austin Warren	Ben Rortvedt
L/L DoB: 1995-07-07	L/L DoB: 1993-09-02	R/R DoB: 1996-06-05	R/R DoB: 1997-11-07	R/R DoB: 2000-09-01	R/R DoB: 1996-02-05	L/R DoB: 1997-09-25
Projected for Syracuse, despite being out of options.	Expected to open season on Injured List — left UCL tear.	On 60-Day Injured List — right UCL surgery.	In minor-league camp. Projected for Binghamton.	In minor-league camp. Projected for St. Lucie.	In minor-league camp. Projected for St. Lucie.	Projected for Syracuse. Out of options.
Catchers	Infielders	Outfielders	Outfielders
Hayden Senger	Ronny Mauricio	MJ Melendez	Nick Morabito
R/R DoB: 1997-04-03	S/R DoB: 2001-04-04	L/R DoB: 1993-11-29	R/R DoB: 2003-05-07
In minor-league camp. Projected for Binghamton.	In minor-league camp. Projected for Syracuse.	In minor-league camp. Projected for Syracuse.	In minor-league camp. Projected for Binghamton.

Also in Camp

Relief Pitchers	Outfielders	Outfielders	Outfielders
Craig Kimbrel	Carson Benge	Cristian Pache "	Mike Tauchman
R/R DoB: 1988-05-28	L/R DoB: 2003-01-20	R/R DoB: 1998-11-19	L/L DoB: 1990-12-03
Projected for Release.	Projected for Binghamton	Projected for Binghamton	Expected to Open Season on IL

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