From a NY Post article
Rose, once finding out about Morabito getting a different number then posted about a similar situation that occurred 36 years ago.
When Kelvin Torve played his first game for the Mets in 1990, he was given No. 24, which had been unofficially retired by former owner Joan Whitney Payson to honor Willie Mays. Torve’s number was shortly thereafter changed to No. 39. The Mets officially retired 24 in 2022.