Tom Gatto

Image courtesy of Denis Poroy-Imagn Images The nickname aged poorly. The "Baby Mets" -- Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos -- have not matured into foundational players. There's an excellent chance the trio will be broken up in the offseason. Perhaps all three will go. This winter would be a good time for it to happen. Baseball economics is a driver in that supposition. Alvarez, Baty and Vientos are all arbitration-eligible for 2027, and no matter what MLB's salary system will be after the lockout, shelling out low seven figures to veteran players who had respective bWARs of 0.7, 1.6 and minus-1.2 this year is not good business. How long does the front office allow itself to be teased? How tightly should it hug these homegrown products? Team president David Stearns has shown that he isn't sentimental about players, and he inherited this lot to begin with. On a human level, it feels like everyone could stand a change of scenery. All three players' careers have stalled after they've put in so much effort to improve. After this year's results, Stearns can't be certain that a breakthrough is coming. He started hedging last offseason when he shifted Baty and Vientos to bench roles in the aftermath of signing Jorge Polanco and Bo Bichette as free agents. Let's dig into where the "Baby Mets" are falling short, and who could be next up to fill their spots. Francisco Alvarez Alvarez has the best chance of staying because of his position, but remember, his name was floated in trade rumors during the summer. Also recall the Mets signed Luis Torrens to a two-year, $11 million extension on May 2, and while there was a trend the past few years of teams paying good money for veteran backups, that still is a lot for a No. 2. But it's quite economical for a No. 1, and Torrens looked the part for much of this season (2.1 fWAR this season). So, where is Alvarez lacking? To start, his focus on patching the down-and-away hole in his swing, with help from special assistant J.D. Martinez, has had an odd effect: his hole now is velocity. He improved from a .190 average against sliders and .152 against sweepers in '25 to .258 and .231, respectively, in '26, but he plummeted from .343 against four-seamers in 2025 to .231 in this year. That's more than statistical noise when each pitch has a decent-sized sample for both years. GCM's Yirsandy Rodriguez has a full breakdown of how Alvarez has regressed at the plate and what it means for the Mets' catching situation going forward. The defensive numbers remained mixed. His throwing has improved incrementally, according to Baseball Savant metrics, but he will never match Torrens' throwing ability. His framing took a hit in the first year of ABS challenges, and his blocking hit rock bottom at the first percentile. His health history cannot be ignored, either. There was a thumb sprain in 2024, a hamate fracture and thumb UCL sprain in 2025, and a meniscus tear in 2026. Catchers take a pounding behind the dish, of course, but Alvarez's availability has been too limited. He has played in 100, 76 and 113 games in the past three seasons. If Stearns feels he can only save money at the margins of the payroll, then he could finally go through with an Alvarez trade, give Torrens the majority of starts and sign a cheap, defense-first backup, ideally one who bats left-handed to complement the righty-swinging Torrens. Brett Baty Baty teased the front office again with another strong second half at the plate (.838 OPS, seven home runs in 49 games). The season-long bat speed (87th percentile) and exit velocity (73rd percentile) are tempting, as well. But a lack of progress against left-handers (.500 OPS, zero home runs in 91 plate appearances) and lackluster overall production (91 wRC+, 11 home runs in 143 games) signal he's just a platoon player. A check of some Baty numbers paints a clear picture of why he hasn't broken through. First, spin still vexes him. He couldn't figure out the sweeper, and so pitchers threw it more than ever to him this year. He posted a minus-4 run value on the pitch, with a .162 average and .216 slugging percentage. The slider was a problem, too, with a .167 average and .333 SLG (minus-1 run value). Those two deficiencies helped to cancel out the +3 run value and .446 SLG against four-seamers. Second, despite the exit velocity and the 73rd-percentile launch angle-sweet spot percentage, the slug just wasn't there. His SLG dropped from a career-high .435 in 2025 to .371 this year. His extra-base-hit total remained flat (33 and 34 the past two years). After four-plus seasons in the majors, that's not a good sign. And while he has the athletic ability to play multiple positions, he's not quite a glove-first player. His best work this year came at his natural position, third base, and it was modest. He registered +2 defensive runs saved (DRS) and +1 out above average (OAA). Among players with 450 or more innings at the position, he was tied for 14th in both DRS and OAA. He was a good-enough fill-in when Bo Bichette slid over to shortstop to cover for the injured Francisco Lindor. Baty did show promise at second base, with +3 OAA and +3 fielding run value (FRV). The latter number was tied for 14th among all MLB second basemen. His work at first base and the outfield were limited, but not bad (2 DRS/-1 OAA at first, 2 DRS/-1 OAA in the outfield). All of which is to say that Baty is versatile enough to keep but still a borderline call. The Mets enter the offseason with replacement utility options, starting with Christopher Morel, who has more power. They could finally give Ronny Mauricio a full season in the role, although he, too, might be on the outs after not getting a September call-up until Jared Young suffered a concussion and went on the injured list. They have deadline acquisition Emilien Pitre and waiver claim Christian Cairo at Triple-A as well, but Pitre probably needs more time there after a late promotion. A club could do worse than to dream on a first-round draft pick who will turn 27 in November, and hope he finally figures it out to become a solid third baseman. Stearns should be making that pitch to interested parties about Baty over the next couple months. Mark Vientos Manager Andy Green was blunt about Vientos' future with the Mets when the club recalled the infielder from a minor-league rehab stint in late August. "I still think there's a very bright future out there for him, if he wants to go grab a hold of it. That's on him," Green said. "When he gets back in the box, take advantage of the at-bats you do get and prove you deserve more at-bats." Vientos got exactly 30 ABs in 12 games from Aug. 31 through Sept. 24. He homered twice and struck out eight times, or about what would be expected from him. That sample doesn't forgive the entire 2026 body of work. The exit velocity, hard-hit rate, and line-drive rate all fell from 2025 despite fast bat speed. His ground-ball rate ticked up two points. Also as you would expect from Vientos, the chase rate moved up as his season sputtered and frustration grew. To his credit, the whiff percentage ticked slightly downward. But in the end, we're talking about marginal statistical moves that landed within his career norms. Therefore, Vientos' main value for 2027 and beyond, as Rodriguez noted last week for GCM, is as a platoon masher against left-handed pitching. But this is a player who showed two years ago that he could be more. Right now, he's just a guy who could maybe rotate with Polanco and Young. Could a Vientos-Baty utility platoon play? The Mets would be pairing a 121 wRC+ against left-handers (Vientos) with a 103 wRC+ against right-handers (Baty) in that scenario, and maybe both would see a boost with more defined roles, but those numbers don't scream that it should be tried. In theory, Morel, Eric Wagaman or a cheap offseason pickup could fill the Vientos role and Mauricio can fill the Baty role. Vientos still has trade value because his slug will entice a team to give him a fresh start. But will Stearns be reluctant to deal a player with 30-home-run power a year after letting Pete Alonso walk? Maybe, but Stearns saw Vientos struggle badly in the field at first base (minus-10 OAA), and run prevention is still important in Queens. And there aren't full-time DH at-bats available with Polanco, Juan Soto and even Lindor needing them. View full article

Count on the front office gazing longingly at him in Port St. Lucie next February and March -- if baseball is being played at that point, of course. New York Mets Prospect Losers Ryan Clifford, 1B/OF He didn’t fall far in the GCM Top 20 during the season, but Clifford took a heavy tumble nonetheless with a 63 wRC+ in 470 plate appearances for Syracuse. His 174 punchouts (37.2 percent K rate) obliterated whatever impact he generated with his 18 home runs. His 10th-percentile Z-contact rate neutered his 90s-percentile EV and barrel rates. To put that in layman's terms, selling out for slug didn’t work. If he was an even average hitter, he could have maybe forced the Mets’ hand on a promotion. They showed they were willing to give kids a shot at the big-league level. They opened the season with Benge in right field and then made Ewing their center fielder in May. Clifford, 23, could have been next as the club’s first-base production lagged. (For context: Mets first basemen were 28th in the majors with an 89 wRC+ and 23rd with 18 home runs). He was given a reset in mid-August when Syracuse placed him on its development list. After he returned to the lineup on Sept. 3, he produced decently to end the season: a .978 OPS, two home runs and a 25.6 percent K rate in 11 games. Six of his eight hits went for extra bases. But the full body of work can’t be ignored. Neither can the company Clifford has at the position after the deadline pickup of fellow slugger Billy Amick and the second-half power surge by Corey Collins at Binghamton. R.J. Gordon, RHP Gordon, 24, put himself on a fast track last year by succeeding at Double-A in his first pro season. Where does he stand now after taking a long step back in 2026? He pitched close to a full season at Binghamton (21 starts), but his ERA went up almost two runs to 5.03 (with a 4.91 FIP) and his RA/9 (runs allowed per nine) rate increased by a similar amount to 6.54. The K-rate at Double-A fell sharply, from 28.7 percent to 20.1 percent, and the walk rate jumped from 6.1 percent to 10.4 percent. The home run rate inched up from 2.8 percent to 3.0 percent. The only red in his Prospect Savant player card was his chase rate, which finished in the 89th percentile. Does he have a health excuse? Maybe for early in the season. He began the year on the injured list and made his first appearance for Binghamton on May 10. The Rumble Ponies limited his innings at first. But he handled a full workload over the final two months, and the numbers were just okay: a 3.82 ERA, .701 opponents’ OPS, 21.6 percent K-rate and 9.7 percent walk rate over 12 starts and 63 2/3 innings pitched from July 3 on. That’s not what an organization would want from an older college prospect like Gordon. Jacob Reimer, 3B/1B Like Clifford, Reimer stayed near the top half of the Top 20, but there’s little denying he stalled at Binghamton. Before he was sidelined with a groin injury in mid-June, he was slashing .212/.332/.391 with six home runs in 214 PAs for the Rumble Ponies. The numbers weren’t much better after his return from a rehab stint in early August: .263/.341/.373, two home runs in 135 PAs. His 97 wRC+ belies those basic stat lines. The key was his selectiveness. Prospect Savant had Reimer’s 12.9 percent walk rate in the 73rd percentile (the rate itself jumped almost three points between ’25 and ’26) and his chase rate in the 81st percentile. The downside was he didn’t swing the bat enough. His overall swing percentage and in-zone swing percentage were both in the ninth percentile. The zone-contact percentage was only in the 29th percentile. Also like Clifford, Reimer, 22, will have to contend with new faces at his primary position next spring. Jefferson Rojas played a lot of third base in Double-A this year, and Amick plays there as well. View full article

Lehigh Valley erased that lead in the fourth on two solo home runs off Saul Garcia, the second of seven Syracuse pitchers. The Mets went back ahead in the seventh when Ramos singled, moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hayden Senger, advanced to third on a single by Zack Short and scored on a single by Christian Cairo. The IronPigs tied it in the eighth with a sacrifice fly following a leadoff triple. In the 11th, Metoyer struck out the first batter he faced but then allowed a single that scored the zombie runner. Tyler McLoughlin came on and gave up a run-scoring double that made the score 5-3. Ramos began the bottom half at second as the zombie runner. Kevin Parada flied out, but Short walked and Cairo singled to load the bases. Smith's grounder to deep third base brought Ramos home, but then Rojas flied out to end it. Syracuse stranded 12 runners in the game. The Mets went with another bullpen game to wrap up the season. Xzavion Curry opened with two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out one. Syracuse Batting Player AB R H RBI BB K D'Andre Smith 5 0 0 1 1 0 Jefferson Rojas 6 0 0 0 0 2 MJ Melendez 4 0 1 0 1 1 Eric Wagaman 4 0 0 0 1 2 Billy Amick 5 1 1 0 0 2 Jose Ramos 4 3 2 2 0 1 Hayden Senger 3 0 0 0 0 2 Kevin Parada 1 0 0 0 0 0 Zack Short 4 0 1 0 1 1 Christian Cairo 4 0 2 1 1 0 Syracuse Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Xzavion Curry 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 Saul Garcia 2 2 2 2 0 2 2 Kevin Herget 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Dylan Ross 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Cameron Weston 2 1 1 1 0 2 0 Brian Metoyer 1 1/3 1 2 1 1 1 0 Tyler McLoughlin 2/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 New York Mets Transactions No Roster Moves Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: MLB Jack Wenninger: DNP Elian Pena: DNP Mitch Voit: DNP Ryan Clifford: DNP Nick Morabito: MLB Jonathan Santucci: DNP Carson Wiggins: DNP Jacob Reimer: DNP Aiden Robbins: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Chris Suero: DNP Jefferson Rojas: 0-for-6, 2 K Will Watson: DNP Shane Sdao: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Antonio Jimenez: DNP Emilien Pitre: DNP Dylan Ross: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K View full article

The Mets took a 3-0 lead in the second on Short’s bases-loaded double. Billy Amick led off the inning with a double and moved to third on a fly out by Jose Ramos. Ryan Clifford walked and Senger reached on catcher’s interference to load the bases. Short then drove a ball to the gap in right-center to clear the bases. Lehigh Valley answered with a solo home run in the third and pulled even at 3-3 in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. Dan Hammer started another bullpen game for the Mets and allowed one hit over two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Eight Mets pitchers in all took the mound. The last one, Chayce McDermott, was credited with the win after allowing the go-ahead run in the ninth. Short had two of the Mets’ eight hits. Syracuse Batting Player AB R H RBI BB K D'Andre Smith 5 1 1 2 0 0 Jefferson Rojas 4 0 0 0 0 2 MJ Melendez 4 0 1 0 0 1 Vidal Bruján 3 0 1 0 0 0 Billy Amick 4 1 1 0 0 3 Jose Ramos 3 0 1 0 1 0 Ryan Clifford 2 1 0 0 1 0 Eric Wagaman 1 0 0 0 0 1 Hayden Senger 3 1 1 0 0 1 Zack Short 3 1 2 3 1 0 Syracuse Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Dan Hammer 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 Ofreidy Gómez 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 Matt Seelinger (H, 3) 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 Garrett Stratton 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 Ryan Lambert (BS, 3) 1 2 1 1 1 1 0 Matt Turner 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 Zach Franklin 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Chayce McDermott (W, 3-1) 1 3 1 1 0 1 0 New York Mets Transactions New York Mets activated LHP Cionel Pérez from the 15-day injured list. New York Mets optioned RHP Cameron Weston to Syracuse Mets. Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: MLB Jack Wenninger: DNP Elian Pena: DNP Mitch Voit: DNP Ryan Clifford: 0-for-2, BB Nick Morabito: MLB Jonathan Santucci: DNP Carson Wiggins: DNP Jacob Reimer: DNP Aiden Robbins: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Chris Suero: DNP Jefferson Rojas: 0-for-4, 2 K Will Watson: DNP Shane Sdao: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Antonio Jimenez: DNP Emilien Pitre: DNP Dylan Ross: DNP View full article

After Friday’s results, Syracuse is very much alive for an out-of-nowhere International League second-half championship. The Mets pulled to a half-game behind co-leaders Indianapolis and Rochester with two games left in the regular season, part of a five-team battle for the flag. They dispatched visiting Lehigh Valley 6-2 while Rochester was getting drilled 7-1 at Buffalo and Indianapolis was losing 8-7 in 10 innings at Gwinnett after blowing a two-run lead in the ninth inning. Here’s how the clubs stand entering play Saturday: TEAM W L PCT GB Rochester 43 30 .589 -- Indianapolis 43 30 .589 -- Syracuse 42 30 .583 0.5 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 40 31 .563 2 Worcester 40 31 .563 2 And while smart people will say that there’s no such thing as momentum in baseball, this Mets team is rolling. They have won the first four games of this week’s series and are 27-12 since the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline. The club was 15-18, 8 1/2 games back and 15th in the league standings through Aug. 2. The Mets got another shot of energy this week with the promotion of infielder Jefferson Rojas. The 21-year-old homered in each of his first three games and then contributed with his legs on Friday. He manufactured an insurance run in the eighth as he reached on an infield error, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher, and scored on a double by MJ Melendez. Rojas became a more important player this weekend after New York recalled Ronny Mauricio on Friday to replace the injured Jared Young on the active roster. Syracuse could be percentage points ahead of Rochester before it takes the field Saturday (6:35 p.m. ET). The Red Wings will play the Bisons at 1:05 p.m. ET. Indianapolis will take on Gwinnett at 6:05 p.m. It’s a rare day of scoreboard-watching in the IL. A correction/clarification on tiebreakers is needed after Friday’s article: According to Minor League Baseball, the first tiebreaker remains head-to-head, and that applies in a two- or three-way tie, but the second tiebreaker is winning percentage over the last 20 games. If the clubs are tied after that, then the game threshold will increase by one (to 21, 22 and so on) until the tie is broken. Syracuse can’t be finish in a tie right now because it has played one fewer game than the clubs ahead of it. Bruján Homers, Syracuse Breaks Through In The Sixth Vidal Bruján is also having a big week. He’s 6-for-15 (.400) with a homer and eight RBIs in four games. He knocked in two big runs Friday. He hit a solo homer in the fifth to put Syracuse on top 2-1, and then an RBI groundout in the sixth to cap a three-run outburst that stretched the margin to 5-1. He also scored the Mets’ first run, scampering home on a Jose Ramos single in the fourth. The Mets took advantage of wildness by the Lehigh Valley bullpen to break the game open. A walk to Ramos, a single by Hayden Senger and walk to Zack Short loaded the bases with none out for D’Andre Smith. He came through with a two-run single to give the Mets a 4-1 cushion. Rojas popped out but MJ Melendez walked. Brujan followed with his run-scoring roller. Justin Hagenman was solid in his second consecutive four-inning start. He allowed a run on two hits, walked none and struck out two. Ben Simon followed with two hitless innings to earn the win. Kevin Herget allowed a solo homer in the seventh, but Saul Garcia worked a hitless eighth and Chayce McDermott got the final three outs, though not in a save situation. Syracuse Batting Player AB R H RBI BB K D'Andre Smith 4 0 1 2 0 1 Jefferson Rojas 5 1 1 0 0 1 MJ Melendez 4 0 1 1 1 1 Vidal Bruján 5 2 2 2 0 1 Eric Wagaman 5 0 1 0 0 0 Billy Amick 3 0 0 0 1 1 Jose Ramos 3 1 1 1 1 1 Hayden Senger 3 1 2 0 1 1 Zack Short 2 1 0 0 2 0 Totals 34 6 9 6 6 7 Syracuse Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Justin Hagenman 4 2 1 1 0 2 0 Ben Simon (W, 5-4) 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Kevin Herget 1 2 1 1 0 2 1 Saul Garcia (H, 1) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Chayce McDermott 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 9 4 2 2 0 5 1 New York Mets Transactions New York Mets placed 1B Jared Young on the 7-day injured list. Concussion. New York Mets recalled SS Ronny Mauricio from Syracuse Mets. Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: MLB Jack Wenninger: DNP Elian Pena: DNP Mitch Voit: DNP Ryan Clifford: DNP Nick Morabito: MLB Jonathan Santucci: DNP Carson Wiggins: DNP Jacob Reimer: DNP Aiden Robbins: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Chris Suero: DNP Jefferson Rojas: 1-for-5, K Will Watson: DNP Shane Sdao: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Antonio Jimenez: DNP Emilien Pitre: DNP Dylan Ross: DNP View full article

Thursday's win kept Syracuse 1 1/2 games behind co-leaders Rochester and Indianapolis (both 43-29) in the International League second-half standings. An earlier cancellation has left the Mets (41-30) with one fewer game played, which means that, if all games are completed the next three days, Syracuse will need to win the title outright; it can't win on a tiebreaker. If games are canceled and tiebreakers do come into play, then head-to-head in the second half would be the first one in a two-way tie. Syracuse is 6-6 against Rochester in the second half. It did not play Indianapolis at all this season. In a three-way tie, winning percentage among the tied teams would be first. Syracuse and Rochester are at .500, while Indianapolis doesn't have a percentage because it didn't face Syracuse or Rochester. In that case, overall records would be used to break the tie. Rochester would get the nod as it has the best record in the league at 88-57, Syracuse is 79-67, while Indianapolis is 74-73. Rochester is wrapping up its season at Buffalo, while Indianapolis is finishing at Gwinnett. If the Mets pull off the improbable and win the second half, they'll face first-half champion Memphis in a best-of-three series for the Governors' Cup beginning Tuesday. The IL champion will face the Pacific Coast League champion, either Las Vegas or Oklahoma City, in the Triple-A National Championship Game on Sept. 26 in Las Vegas. Syracuse Outslugs Lehigh Valley Rojas' contributions were key Thursday, but Vidal Brujan and Eric Wagaman played big roles as well. Brujan singled in Rojas and Wagaman drove in two runs with a double to give Syracuse a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the first. Brujan put the Mets up 7-5 in the second with a sacrifice fly. Ronny Mauricio had the Mets' other RBI with a fielder's choice grounder in the second. A throwing error on the play brought in Rojas with a second run. Mets starter Jack Wenninger was knocked out in the second inning. He allowed five runs on six hits, walked two and struck out one. After Matt Seelinger gave up two runs in 1 1/3 innings and Ryan Lambert surrendered a run in his inning of work, Brian Metoyer (two innings), Dylan Ross (two-thirds of an inning), Matt Turner (one inning) and Zach Franklin (1 1/3 innings) combined for five scoreless innings of relief. Metoyer was credited with the win and Franklin earned the save. Syracuse Batting Player AB R H RBI BB K D'Andre Smith 5 2 2 0 0 1 Jefferson Rojas 4 3 2 3 0 0 Ronny Mauricio 5 1 0 1 0 1 MJ Melendez 4 1 1 0 1 1 Vidal Bruján 3 0 1 2 0 0 Eric Wagaman 4 0 2 2 0 0 Ryan Clifford 2 0 0 0 1 2 Christian Cairo 3 0 1 0 1 0 Kevin Parada 3 2 2 0 1 0 Syracuse Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jack Wenninger 1 2/3 6 5 5 2 1 1 Matt Seelinger 1 1/3 2 2 2 1 1 1 Ryan Lambert 1 1 1 1 2 0 0 Brian Metoyer 2 1 0 0 1 4 0 Dylan Ross 2/3 0 0 0 2 0 0 Matt Turner 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Zach Franklin 1 1/3 1 0 0 1 2 0 New York Mets Transactions New York Mets optioned RHP Xzavion Curry to Syracuse Mets. New York Mets recalled RHP Cameron Weston from Syracuse Mets. New York Mets placed RHP Robert Stock on the 15-day injured list. Finger numbness. Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: MLB Jack Wenninger: 1 2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR Elian Pena: DNP Mitch Voit: DNP Ryan Clifford: 0-for-2, BB, HBP, 2 K Nick Morabito: MLB Jonathan Santucci: DNP Carson Wiggins: DNP Jacob Reimer: DNP Aiden Robbins: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Chris Suero: DNP Jefferson Rojas: 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, HBP Will Watson: DNP Shane Sdao: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Antonio Jimenez: DNP Emilien Pitre: DNP Dylan Ross: 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K View full article

He reached base all four times up (3-for-3, walk) and was in the middle of Syracuse's two, two-run innings (he singled and scored in the first on Ronny Mauricio's double for a 1-0 lead). He's making a great first impression in the place he should call home for at least a part of next year Santucci Wraps Up Season Jonathan Santucci took the mound for the first time since being named Mets Player Development's Minor League Pitcher of the Year. It went well enough. The left-hander was charged with four runs (three earned) on three hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked three, struck out six and allowed a home run. He left the game leading 4-3, but Kevin Herget allowed his inherited runner to score and denied Santucci a chance at a win. Santucci also committed a throwing error, which led to Lehigh Valley's first run of the game in the first inning. The homer was a two-run shot that cut the Mets' lead to a run the fifth. On the plus side, his fastball velocity averaged 94 mph, right in line with his season figure. That's a good indication he stayed healthy and strong late in the year. The K's gave him 163 in 125 innings between Binghamton and Syracuse (30.8 percent). Other Notes Left-hander Cionel Pérez pitched for a second consecutive night as his minor-league rehab continued. He allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth inning, setting up Chayce McDermott for his first save with Syracuse. . . . Amick's K rate jumped to 32.2 percent after three punchouts in an 0-for-4 night. . . . Mets batters struck out 14 times in all. D'Andre Smith completed the hat trick as well. Clifford, Mauricio and Jose Ramos each fanned twice. Syracuse Batting Player AB R H RBI BB K D'Andre Smith 3 0 0 0 1 3 Jefferson Rojas 3 2 3 2 1 0 Ronny Mauricio 4 1 1 1 0 2 Vidal Bruján 3 0 0 0 1 1 Eric Wagaman 4 0 1 1 0 1 Billy Amick 4 0 0 0 0 3 Ryan Clifford 4 1 1 1 0 2 Jose Ramos 3 1 1 0 0 2 Hayden Senger 3 0 1 0 0 0 Totals 31 5 8 5 3 14 Syracuse Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jonathan Santucci 5 1/3 3 4 3 3 6 1 Kevin Herget 1 2/3 1 0 0 0 2 0 Cionel Pérez 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Chayce McDermott 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Totals 9 5 4 3 3 10 1 New York Mets Transactions New York Mets placed RHP Daniel Duarte on the 15-day injured list. Left hamstring strain. New York Mets recalled RHP Xzavion Curry from Syracuse Mets. New York Mets recalled LHP Jefry Yan from Syracuse Mets. Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: MLB Jack Wenninger: DNP Elian Pena: DNP Mitch Voit: DNP Ryan Clifford: 1-for-4, HR, R, RBI, 2 K Nick Morabito: MLB Jonathan Santucci: 5 1/3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, HR Carson Wiggins: DNP Jacob Reimer: DNP Aiden Robbins: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Chris Suero: DNP Jefferson Rojas: 3-for-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB Will Watson: DNP Shane Sdao: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Antonio Jimenez: DNP Emilien Pitre: DNP Dylan Ross: DNP View full article

The debut wasn’t all rosy. Rojas struck out in his next three plate appearances, twice looking, after the homer. After a full Double-A season between Tennessee in the Chicago Cubs’ chain and Binghamton with the Mets. Syracuse was the next stage in his development. He’s there now, and it’s likely that he will return there to begin 2027. D’Andre Smith continued his surge at Triple-A with his fifth home run for Syracuse and three runs scored. He scored Syracuse’s first run after being hit by a pitch to lead off the first. Vidal Brujan drove in four runs with a two-run triple in the first and a two-run single in the eighth. Ryan Clifford collected two hits and scored twice. MJ Melendez, who was named International League Player of the Week earlier in the day for his four homers and 10 RBIs against St. Paul, walked twice in five PAs. Cionel Perez pitched a scoreless third inning as his minor league rehab assignment moved to Syracuse. He threw 15 pitches, 11 for strikes, and struck out one. The left-hander has been on New York’s 15-day injured list July 31, retroactive to July 30, with a forearm strain. Syracuse Batting Player AB R H RBI BB K D'Andre Smith 3 3 1 2 1 0 Jefferson Rojas 5 2 2 2 0 3 Ronny Mauricio 5 1 2 1 0 0 MJ Melendez 2 0 0 0 3 1 Vidal Bruján 4 0 3 4 1 0 Émilien Pitre 5 0 0 0 0 1 Billy Amick 3 0 0 0 1 1 Ryan Clifford 4 2 2 0 0 0 Hayden Senger 4 1 1 0 0 1 Totals 35 9 11 9 6 7 Syracuse Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Saul Garcia 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 Cionel Pérez 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Ben Simon (W, 4-4) 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 Garrett Stratton 2 0 0 0 3 3 0 Dylan Ross 1 2 1 1 0 2 1 Dan Hammer 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Totals 9 4 1 1 6 8 1 New York Mets Transactions New York Mets sent LHP Cionel Pérez on a rehab assignment to Syracuse Mets. New York Mets optioned SS Christian Cairo to Syracuse Mets. New York Mets claimed SS Christian Cairo off waivers from Philadelphia Phillies. Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: MLB Jack Wenninger: DNP Elian Pena: DNP Mitch Voit: DNP Ryan Clifford: 2-for-4, 2B, 2 R Nick Morabito: MLB Jonathan Santucci: DNP Carson Wiggins: DNP Jacob Reimer: DNP Aiden Robbins: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Chris Suero: DNP Jefferson Rojas: 2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 3 K Will Watson: DNP Shane Sdao: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Antonio Jimenez: DNP Emilien Pitre: 0-for-5, K Dylan Ross: 1 IP, 2 H, R, ER, HR, 2 K View full article

Amick homered in back-to-back games to end the series and went deep three times in all against his former organization, the Minnesota Twins. He left the Twin Cities with eight homers in 19 games for Syracuse, 15 in 31 games as a Mets minor leaguer, and 38 for the season. Hagenman allowed two hits over four innings, with two walks and one strikeout. After Lambert and Metoyer stumbled, Zach Franklin, Jefry Yan, and Saul Garcia combined for three scoreless innings. Yan struck out three in his inning. Syracuse Batting Player AB R H RBI BB K D'Andre Smith 3 0 0 0 1 1 Émilien Pitre 3 0 0 0 1 1 Ronny Mauricio 4 0 0 0 0 1 MJ Melendez 3 1 0 0 1 1 Vidal Bruján 3 1 0 0 1 1 Eric Wagaman 4 0 1 1 0 1 Billy Amick 4 1 1 1 0 1 Ryan Clifford 3 1 1 0 1 1 Hayden Senger 3 1 1 2 0 2 Syracuse Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Justin Hagenman 4 2 1 1 2 1 1 Ryan Lambert 2/3 1 4 4 2 1 1 Brian Metoyer 1/3 1 1 1 0 0 1 Zach Franklin 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Jefry Yan 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 Saul Garcia 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: MLB Jack Wenninger: DNP Elian Pena: DNP Mitch Voit: DNP Ryan Clifford: 1-for-3, 3B, BB, K Nick Morabito: MLB Jonathan Santucci: DNP Carson Wiggins: DNP Jacob Reimer: DNP Aiden Robbins: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Chris Suero: DNP Jefferson Rojas: DNP Will Watson: DNP Shane Sdao: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Antonio Jimenez: DNP Émilien Pitre: 0-for-3, BB, K Dylan Ross: DNP View full article

The Mets acquired the 22-year-old right-hander from the Chicago White Sox in the Huascar Brazoban trade. Chicago drafted him in the fifth round last year out of Oklahoma State. He was a teammate of Nolan McLean and Carson Benge with the Cowboys. The Chicago and New York organizations both were careful with his workload in his debut season; Davis pitched 83 1/3 innings over 24 games (23 starts). His surface numbers between High-A to Double-A were just OK: a 4,94 ERA, 24.4 percent strikeout rate, 9.6 percent walk rate, 4.1 percent home run rate and .800 opponents’ OPS. Davis got no support from his offense in this one, try as it might. The Rumble Ponies stranded runners in each of the first four innings and had two more runners thrown out on the bases. Binghamton Batting Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit 4 0 1 0 0 0 Marco Vargas 4 0 1 0 0 1 Jacob Reimer 4 0 0 0 0 1 Chris Suero 2 0 0 0 1 1 Eli Serrano III 3 0 1 0 0 0 John Bay 3 0 1 0 0 1 Jamari Baylor 3 0 0 0 0 1 JT Benson 3 0 0 0 0 2 Eddinson Paulino 3 0 0 0 0 2 Binghamton Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Gabe Davis 4 2/3 4 1 1 1 3 1 Bryce Conley 2 2/3 1 0 0 1 5 0 Bryce Jenkins 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: MLB Jack Wenninger: DNP Elian Pena: DNP Mitch Voit: 1-for-4 Ryan Clifford: DNP Nick Morabito: MLB Jonathan Santucci: DNP Carson Wiggins: DNP Jacob Reimer: 0-for-4, K Aiden Robbins: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Chris Suero: 0-for-2, BB, K Jefferson Rojas: DNP Will Watson: DNP Shane Sdao: DNP Eli Serrano III: 1-for-3 Antonio Jimenez: DNP Emilien Pitre: 2-for-4, RBI, BB, K Dylan Ross: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, W View full article

MJ Melendez will need to catch a break to return to the major leagues this season. He's keeping himself ready for it while parked at Syracuse. He homered in his first two at-bats and drove in five runs Friday in Syracuse's 10-4 victory at St. Paul. That gave him 20 homers for the club overall and 18 since rejoining it from New York on June 30. He has 34 extra-base hits, a .660 slugging percentage and a 1.035 OPS in that span. Melendez, 27, got an opportunity with the big club in mid-April when Juan Soto went on the injured list. During his two-month stay, he gave the Mets exactly what he gave the Kansas City Royals for parts of four seasons: a little slug and a lot of strikeouts. He homered four times among 10 extra-base hits, but fanned at a 34.7 percent clip, high even for him, in 144 plate appearances. New York brought up outfield prospect Nick Morabito over Melendez and others when MLB rosters expanded to 28 players on Sept. 1. The Mets have kept the position-player group unchanged since. An injury would appear to be Melendez's only path back to the Show in 2026. As for the other Mets affiliate still playing this season, Binghamton gave up seven runs the second inning and lost 8-4 to Portland on Friday. R.J. Gordon stumbled in his final start of the season, charged with six runs on four hits (one a home run) and three walks over 1 2/3 innings. Eddinson Paulino hit his first Double-A home run in the loss. New York Mets Transactions New York Mets designated RHP Chris Devenski for assignment. New York Mets recalled RHP Jack Weisenburger from Syracuse Mets. Melendez, Syracsue Come Out Hot Against St. Paul The Mets plated five runs in the first and four more in the second to take a 9-0 lead. Melendez was involved in both outbursts. Vidal Bruján led opened the scoring in the first with his fourth home run of the season. Ronny Mauricio walked and Melendez followed with a two-run homer. Eric Wagaman singled, Billy Amick doubled him to third, Jose Ramos singled home Wagaman, and Hayden Senger singled in Amick for a 5-0 lead. Bruján ignited the Mets again in the second with a leadoff walk. He reached second when Mauricio's fielder's choice grounder was misplayed for an error. Melendez made the error hurt with a three-run homer. Amick doubled again and Jose Ramos singled him in for a 9-0 margin. Melendez doubled in the fourth and scored on a Ramos force out. Syracuse was held scoreless on two hits over the final five innings. Kevin Herget went the first three innings in a piggyback game. He allowed two runs and five hits, with no walks and one strikeout. Saul Garcia was credited with the win after throwing two hitless innings with a walk and three strikeouts. Things got ragged in the ninth as Brian Metoyer walked three, including one with the bases loaded, and hit a batter. Jefry Yan came in and induced a double-play grounder to end the game. Syracuse Batting Player AB R H RBI BB K D'Andre Smith, CF 5 0 1 0 0 2 Vidal Bruján, SS 3 2 1 1 2 1 Ronny Mauricio, 2B 4 2 0 0 1 1 MJ Melendez, RF 5 3 4 5 0 1 Eric Wagaman, 1B 4 1 1 0 1 1 Billy Amick, DH 5 2 2 0 0 1 Jose Ramos, LF 4 0 2 3 0 1 Hayden Senger, C 4 0 1 1 0 0 Nick Lorusso, 3B 4 0 1 0 0 1 Totals 38 10 13 10 4 9 Syracuse Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Kevin Herget 3 5 2 2 0 1 1 Saul Garcia (W, 1-0) 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 Garrett Stratton 2 4 1 1 0 1 0 Brian Metoyer 1 1/3 0 1 1 3 3 0 Jefry Yan 0 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 9 9 4 4 4 8 1 Gordon Puts Binghamton In Big Early Hole Gordon was in Grand Central Mets' prospect Top 20 for a lot of the season, but he was off it in the August update. His final numbers for Binghamton were an eyesore: a 5.05 ERA, 20.1 percent strikeout rate, 10.4 percent walk rate and 3.0 percent home run rate. The homer he allowed Friday was a one-out, two-run shot in the second that opened the scoring. Gordon retired the next batter, but the inning unraveled from there: walk, stolen base, walk, RBI double, two-run single by rehabbing Boston star Willson Contreras, pitching change. Reliever Felipe De La Cruz allowed Contreras to score, making Gordon's line uglier. Binghamton posted single runs in the fourth, sixth, seventh and ninth. Eli Serrano III hit a solo homer, his sixth of the year, in the fourth to get the Rumble Ponies on the board. He was on the back end of a double steal in the sixth as Marco Vargas swiped home. Paulino homered in the seventh and singled home Jamari Baylor in the ninth, Vargas finished 3-for-5 to raise his Double-A slash line to .283/.365/.410 over 233 plate appearances. Binghamton Batting Player AB R H RBI BB K Marco Vargas, DH 5 1 3 0 0 0 Jacob Reimer, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 2 Eli Serrano III, RF 3 1 2 1 1 0 John Bay, CF 3 0 0 0 1 2 Corey Collins, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 1 Jamari Baylor, 2B 2 1 0 0 2 1 JT Benson, LF 4 0 1 0 0 2 Eddinson Paulino, SS 4 1 2 2 0 0 Vincent Perozo, C 2 0 0 0 0 1 Chris Suero, C 2 0 0 0 0 2 Totals 33 4 8 3 4 11 Binghamton Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR R.J. Gordon (L, 5-9) 1 2/3 4 6 6 3 0 1 Felipe De La Cruz 1 1/3 1 1 1 2 0 1 Cionel Pérez 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Cristofer Gomez 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 Luis R. Rodriguez 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 Carlos Guzman 2 2 0 0 1 4 0 Totals 8 9 8 8 8 8 3 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: DNP Jack Wenninger: DNP Elian Pena: DNP Mitch Voit: DNP Ryan Clifford: DNP Nick Morabito: MLB Jonathan Santucci: DNP Carson Wiggins: DNP Jacob Reimer: 0-for-4, 2 K Aiden Robbins: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Chris Suero: 0-for-2, 2 K Jefferson Rojas: DNP Will Watson: DNP Shane Sdao: DNP Eli Serrano III: 2-for-3, 2B, HR, BB Antonio Jimenez: DNP Emilien Pitre: DNP Dylan Ross: DNP View full article

Eddinson Paulino drove in the Rumble Ponies’ other runs with a sacrifice fly in the seventh and a bases-loaded walk in the ninth. Binghamton Batting Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit 5 1 2 1 0 1 Jefferson Rojas 5 1 1 0 0 3 Jacob Reimer 5 1 1 3 0 3 Chris Suero 5 0 1 0 0 2 John Bay 4 0 0 0 0 2 Corey Collins 3 1 0 0 0 0 Jamari Baylor 3 2 1 0 1 1 JT Benson 3 0 1 0 0 2 Eddinson Paulino 2 0 1 2 1 0 Binghamton Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Luke Gabrysh 3 1/3 3 4 4 3 5 0 Douglas Orellana 2/3 3 3 3 0 1 2 Calvin Ziegler 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 Dakota Hawkins 2 1 1 1 1 4 1 Parker Carlson 1 5 6 6 1 2 1 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: DNP Jack Wenninger: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, W Elian Pena: DNP Mitch Voit: 2-for-5, R, RBI, SB, K Ryan Clifford: 2-for-4, 2 2B, R, RBI, 2 K Nick Morabito: MLB Jonathan Santucci: DNP Carson Wiggins: DNP Jacob Reimer: 1-for-5, HR, R, 3 RBI, 3 K Aiden Robbins: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Chris Suero: 1-for-5, 2 K Jefferson Rojas: 1-for-5, 2B, R, 3 K Will Watson: DNP Shane Sdao: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Antonio Jimenez: DNP Emilien Pitre: 2-for-4, 2B, R, BB Dylan Ross: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K View full article

Jamari Baylor was then hit by a pitch and stole second. After a strikeout, Marco Vargas singled to right to score Baylor for a 5-1 lead. Rojas, Suero and Bay had two hits each. Suero extended his team lead with his 37th steal. The catcher/outfielder is fifth in the Eastern League in that category. Five Binghamton pitchers held Portland to six hits. Will Watson started and allowed a run on three hits over 3 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out three. Carlos Guzman got the final two outs in the fourth, both on strikeouts. Ryan Dollar earned the win with two scoreless innings, allowing a hit and fanning four. Bryce Conley threw a scoreless seventh and eighth before handing it over to Bryce Jenkins, who allowed an unearned run in the ninth before finishing the game. Binghamton Batting .Player AB R H RBI BB K Marco Vargas 4 0 1 1 0 1 Jefferson Rojas 4 1 2 0 0 0 Jacob Reimer 3 0 1 1 1 1 Chris Suero 4 1 2 0 0 1 Eli Serrano III 4 0 0 0 0 1 John Bay 3 1 2 1 1 1 Corey Collins 4 1 2 2 0 1 Jamari Baylor 3 1 0 0 0 1 Vincent Perozo 4 0 0 0 0 3 Binghamton Pitching Player IP H R ER BB K HR Will Watson 3 1/3 3 1 1 2 3 0 Carlos Guzman 2/3 0 0 0 0 2 0 Ryan Dollar 2 1 0 0 0 4 0 Bryce Conley 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 Bryce Jenkins 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: MLB Jack Wenninger: DNP Elian Pena: DNP Mitch Voit: DNP Ryan Clifford: 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, K Nick Morabito: MLB Jonathan Santucci: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Carson Wiggins: DNP Jacob Reimer: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K Aiden Robbins: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Chris Suero: 2-for-4, R, SB, K Jefferson Rojas: 2-for-4, 2B, R Will Watson: 3 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K Shane Sdao: DNP Eli Serrano III: 0-for-4, K Antonio Jimenez: DNP Émilien Pitre: 0-for-4, BB, K Dylan Ross: DNP View full article