Steve Drumwright

The return of Luis Robert Jr. comes just in time for the New York Mets. No, not because they need him to make a push for the postseason. That is already out the door. But Robert, a center fielder activated off the 60-day injured list Monday following a lumbar spine disc herniation that has kept him out since the end of April, could bring the Mets something in a trade if he shows he is healthy and can perform in the next two weeks. To make room for Robert on the roster, first baseman Eric Wagaman was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets had an open spot on their 40-man roster. Also, shortstop Zack Short, who cleared waivers after being designated for assignment, was outrighted to Triple-A. He has the option to choose free agency. Robert, acquired in January from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for infielder Luisangel Acuna and right-hander Truman Pauley, has a .224/.327/.329 slash line with two homers and eight RBIs over 24 games in his first season with the Mets. He has a club option for $20 million that the Mets are surely to decline at this point. Wagaman has shuttled between Syracuse and the Mets, posting a .162/.262/.324 slash line over 21 games in the majors. View full rumor

Image courtesy of © Cyndi Chambers/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images If you had the thought that the New York Mets had an eye on bolstering the system’s pitching depth after Day 1, that belief crystallized big-time on Day 2. The Mets’ first four picks Sunday were college pitchers, with 10 of their 16 overall on Day 2 being college pitchers. They selected just two high school players, a catcher and an outfielder, on Sunday. That came after the Mets used two of their three picks Saturday on college pitchers, including taking Arkansas sophomore right-hander Carson Wiggins with their first-round pick. They also took Texas A&M senior left-hander Shane Sdao in the fourth round. Of their 19 total draft picks, 12 were college pitchers. Sunday began with the fifth round, where the Mets stayed the course and took Florida junior right-hander Luke McNeillie with the 152nd pick. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder profiles as a key reliever, where his stuff plays up, but could also be a starter with some work. While his fastball sits in the upper-90s, he has a high-spin slider in the upper-80s that is his best pitch. The 21-year-old also has a changeup that needs improvement, especially if he is to remain a starter. He has some delivery issues that lead to his pitches being more hittable. Auburn redshirt junior right-hander Alex Petrovic was the Mets’ choice in the sixth round (181st pick). A big frame at 6-5 and 235 pounds, the 22-year-old had 92 strikeouts in 92⅔ innings across 17 starts that helped make him a high selection after going undrafted a year ago when eligible. He added about 3 mph of velocity, touching 96 mph while sitting 92-93 mph. He also has a good changeup to go along with a sweeper and a cutter. He battled arm inflammation in high school and when he stepped onto the Auburn campus, then had a stress fracture in his elbow that first spring and had surgery. The same injury cropped up the next year, but he chose a different recovery path and has been healthy since. In the seventh round (210th pick), the Mets went with Stanford junior right-hander Aidan Keenan, who was a starter and reliever throughout his college days. The 6-2, 200-pounder battled an oblique injury this season and has trouble with control and consistency. He has a very nice mid-90s fastball with life that has reached 99 mph. He also utilizes two types of changeups, one that is a high-spin traditional offering and another lower-spin split. Mississippi junior right-hander Landon Koenig went in the ninth round (240th). The 6-6, 245-pounder started his career with two years at North Dakota State to little acclaim, but refined his performance at Ole Miss, where he posted a 29.7% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate. He picked up a couple ticks in velocity to sit 95-96 mph with his fastball. His fastball hasn’t missed a lot of bats, but he does throw it for a lot of strikes. He also has an upper-80s slider, which is pretty good, and a splitter. The ninth round broke the pitcher trend as the Mets went with a college catcher. That was Cal Poly junior backstop Ryan Tayman with the 270th pick. He played two seasons at Cal before transferring to Cal Poly for this past season. The 6-2, 210-pounder slashed .349/.445/.672 with 15 homers and 43 RBIs in 50 games. It was a breakout season after hitting .254 and .274 at Cal. The right-handed hitter cracked three grand slams as a junior for good measure. It was back to college pitching in the 10th round as the Mets picked Dartmouth junior right-hander Nate Isler, who could be a sleeper pick. The 6-6, 235-pounder has a dynamic fastball that led to 80 strikeouts in 65 innings, including two 11-strikeout games. He did have a 4.98 ERA by virtue of allowing 68 hits and 25 walks. The second half of the draft began with the Mets selecting Arkansas junior outfielder Kuhio Aloy in the 11th round (330th pick), the second Razorback behind Wiggins selected by New York this year. A 6-1, 205-pound Hawaii native who began his career at BYU before spending the last two years with the Razorbacks, he slashed .293/.352/.486 this season, hitting nine home runs and driving in 41. He was the eighth player drafted from Arkansas in this year’s draft. UC Santa Barbara junior right-hander AJ Krodel was scooped up in the 12th round (360th pick). The 6-4, 200-pounder is a reliever who can rack up strikeouts but has issues with walks. His stuff and traits show the potential that the stats don’t. He is the fifth member of the Gauchos’ pitching staff to be drafted this year, led by No. 4 overall pick Jackson Flora, who was taken by the San Francisco Giants. Krodel had a 5.66 ERA this year with 17 walks and 42 strikeouts in 35 innings. He also gave up 42 hits, including seven homers, so the Mets will look to do some fine-tuning with him. It took until the 13th round for the Mets to finally select a high school player. Catcher Jacob Madrid was taken with the 390th selection out of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., the same school that has produced Hunter Greene and Giancarlo Stanton. The 6-4, 215-pound right-handed hitter, who also pitched in high school, is a terrific defender, which will be his calling card and could take him all the way to the majors. An Oregon commit, Madrid has a very strong arm (65 on the 20-80 scouting scale) to highlight his elite defensive skills. He also has some raw power to tap into. The Mets went back to college pitching in the 14th round (420th pick) with Troy (Ala.) senior left-hander Zach Crotchfelt. At 6-3, 215 pounds, Troy was the third school for Crotchfelt, who also attended Auburn and Texas Tech. He helped Troy make a surprising run to the College World Series by striking out 81 in 67 innings for a 3.47 ERA. His fastball sits 93-94 mph, reaching 97 mph and was the pitch he relied on a lot in college, using it 72% of the time. Crotchfelt also has a changeup and a curveball that misses bats even with less usage. He throws from a three-quarters slot with a crossfire delivery. Missouri-St. Louis junior right-hander Dustin Hagens Jr. was taken in the 15th round (450th pick). The 6-1, 185-pounder was a starter in his first two college seasons, but converted to a reliever as a junior and experienced a ton of success. In 20 games and 39⅓ innings, Hagens struck out 57 and walked 18. In the 16th round (480th pick), the Mets went with LSU junior right-hander Gavin Guidry. No, he is not related to former New York Yankees star left-hander Ron Guidry, also a Louisiana native. This Guidry, a 6-2, 184-pounder, missed all of 2025 as he redshirted with a back injury, but rebounded in 2026 to strike out 59 in 43⅔ innings while posting a 6.39 ERA. While his strikeouts spiked as a junior, he was more effective in his freshman and sophomore years, with ERAs of 3.77 and 2.59, respectively. Cooper Dossett, a senior right-hander out of Arkansas and the third Razorback the Mets took in the draft, was the 17th-rounder (510th pick). A 6-0, 210-pounder, Dossett is another reliever that will need work. He had a 6.88 ERA in 17 innings over 16 appearances, striking out 18, while allowing 13 runs on 12 hits and 12 walks. The 18th round (540th pick) saw the Mets take their second high school player. That was outfielder Marcus Ward out of King’s Ridge Christian School in Alpharetta, Ga. The 5-11, 172-pounder left-handed hitter has a commitment to Western Carolina. In the 19th round (570th pick), the Mets again went back to college, selecting Central Florida senior outfielder John Smith III. At 6-1, 200 pounds, the right-handed hitter slashed .322/.383/.574 in starting 47 of the team’s 49 games, hitting 12 homers and driving in a team-high 49 runs. He showed a good ability to reach base, with a 23-game on-base streak. He played his junior year at South Alabama after two years at Pensacola (Fla.) State. To wrap things up, the Mets used their final pick to pick their only infielder of the draft, Iowa senior shortstop Kooper Schulte. The 6-1, 198-pound right-handed hitter slashed .274/.344/.451 with nine homers and 39 RBIs with 11 steals and 50 runs scored in 56 games. View full article

The New York Mets are losing another infielder. And a potential trade chip. Corner infielder Mark Vientos has a fractured bone in his right hand and will be placed on the 10-day injured list before Friday's game. Vientos was hit on his right hand by a pitch from Kansas City Royals right-hander Michael Wacha in the bottom of the second inning of 7-3 Mets loss. The exact diagnosis will be made following more imaging on the right hand, but broken bones have a four- to six-week recovery period. Vientos was thought to be a trade piece that the flailing Mets to spin off for a prospect or two. While his slash line of .211/.256/.388 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs isn't very inviting, he does hit left-handed pitching well, producing a .281/.316/.539 mark with six homers and 17 RBIs. The Mets are currently without second baseman Marcus Semien (strained left hip flexor) and Vientos' injury prompted rookie outfielder A.J. Ewing's MLB debut at second base and Bret Baty, who started at second, moved over to third, where Vientos made just his second start of the season. Infielder Ronny Mauricio is the leading candidate to replace Vientos on the roster. View full rumor

Even if he isn't quite 100%, Jorge Polanco is back with the New York Mets. The infielder was activated off the 60-day injured list by the Mets on Tuesday, with infielder Ronny Mauricio optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Also, right-hander Matt Seelinger, acquired Monday in a trade with the Detroit Tigers, was officially added to the 26-man and 40-man rosters. Right-handers Guillo Zuniga and Alex Carillo were designated for assignment to make room for Polanco and Seelinger on the 40-man. Polanco has been out since mid-April due to left Achilles bursitis. Polanco is expected to strictly be a designated hitter for the early part of his return. He was a key offseason addition, signing a two-year, $40 million contract with the expectation of playing first base to provide better defense. Zuniga was called up Sunday and appeared in Monday's game against Atlanta, going one hitless inning with no walks and a strikeout. Carillo, while he had been on the 40-man roster, had not pitched in the majors this season after making his MLB debut last year with three appearances. He has compiled a 5.57 ERA in 21 appearances and 21 innings at Triple-A this year. View full rumor

The New York Mets are rolling the dice with a new acquisition. The Mets on Monday traded for right-handed reliever Matt Seelinger in a cash deal with the Detroit Tigers. Seelinger had an upward mobility clause in his contract, so a move regarding the 40-man roster and perhaps a 26-man move will need to be made. The Mets' 40-man roster is currently full. The Mets also selected the contract of right-handed reliever Guillo Zuniga from Triple-A and optioned right-hander Joey Gerber back to Syracuse. The 31-year-old Seelinger has yet to make his MLB debut. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 28th round of the 2017 draft out of Farmingdale State, an NCAA Division III school in New York state. He has also been with the Tampa Bay San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Tigers organizations. This year in 27 games and 39⅓ innings at Triple-A, Seelinger has a 3.89 ERA with an 11.4% walk rate and 29.3% strikeout rate. Over his nine seasons in the minors, he has a 3.33 ERA. Zuniga, though, does have MLB experience, but not since 2024, when he appeared in 14 games with the Los Angeles Angels. The 27-year-old also got into two games in 2023 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Combined, he has a 5.03 ERA in 19⅔ innings with eight walks and 12 strikeouts. In 14 appearances between Double-A and Triple-A this year, he has a 3.29 ERA in 13⅔ innings with 12 walks and 18 strikeouts. View full rumor

The fans made Juan Soto an All-Star again. The New York Mets’ left fielder was voted in as a starter for the NL in the July 14 All-Star Game at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park. This is Soto’s fifth All-Star selection and third in four years after missing in 2025, his first season with the Mets. Soto, who missed a chunk of April with a strained right calf, entered Saturday with a slash line of .297/.406/.565 with 18 homers and 41 RBIs. His .406 on-base percentage and .971 OPS is tops in the NL. Soto was the only Mets player named to the team with the dismal performance by the team thus far. The nine starters for each team were determined by two rounds of fan balloting, with Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement getting automatically selected to start by virtue of leading the first round in the NL and AL, respectively. The 23 reserves, which includes 12 pitchers as that position is not up for voting, are selected by player voting and the Commissioner's Office, which ensures that each team has a representative in the game. View full rumor

The shuttle to Syracuse continues to refresh the New York Mets' bullpen. Right-hander Tobias Myers was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday, with right-hander Joey Gerber called up in advance of the three-game road series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Myers pitched three innings Sunday in the Mets' 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Myers, acquired from the Brewers in the Freddy Peralta deal this offseason, allowed three runs on six hits with no walks and three strikeouts. For the season, Myers has a 4.91 FIP (6.21 ERA) in 21 appearances, including three starts, with a 6.7% walk rate and 17.8% strikeout rate. He also has allowed eight homers in 42 innings. Gerber is up for the fourth time this season, but has only pitched in five innings over three games, allowing one run on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts. View full rumor

As the New York Mets try to keep their head above water during this chaotic period, they got some good news on the pitching front. The Mets on Saturday activated right-handed starter Christian Scott from the 15-day injured list and optioned left-hander Zach Thornton to Triple-A Syracuse. Scott will start Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies in hopes of stopping a seven-game losing streak that led to Friday's firing of manager Carlos Mendoza. Scott had been out the minimum time due to a right hip impingement. He has been a good story for the Mets to this point, making nine starts and posting a 3.10 FIP (3.84 ERA) with a 10.7% walk rate and 26.4% strikeout rate in 40⅔ innings. Thornton had just been called up Friday to make his second MLB start. He went six innings, allowing one run on five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts, a nice bounce back from his MLB debut on May 20 in which he gave up four runs in 4⅓ innings. View full rumor

On a day in which they fired their manager, the New York Mets got one of their key bench players back from injury. Outfielder Tyrone Taylor was activated from the 10-day injured list Friday by the Mets, who also called up left-hander Zach Thornton from Triple-A Syracuse. Designated hitter MJ Melendez and right-handed reliever Daniel Duarte were optioned to Triple-A. Thornton is likely to start Friday's series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. Taylor has been sidelined since May 26 with a strained right hip flexor. Taylor returns to a Mets team in chaos following the firing of manager Carlos Mendoza and six straight losses. A good defender, Taylor is slashing just .186/.210/.320 with three homers and 14 RBIs in 43 games. Thornton started the season at Double-A Binghamton, was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse in early May and made his MLB debut two weeks later. Unfortunately, that experience did not go well as Thornton made a spot start and lasted just 4⅓ innings, giving up four runs on four hits, including a homer, with two walks and three strikeouts in an 8-4 loss to the Washington Nationals on May 20. He went back down a few days later. Melendez signed a split contract with the Mets in the offseason for $1.5 million and was called up in mid-April. Like other Mets hitters, he didn't do much offensively with a .192/.315/.350 slash line, hitting four homers and driving in 11 in 56 games. Duarte was up for the third time this season and has made just three appearances and pitched five innings, allowing no runs on one hit, one walk and three strikeouts. He had just been called up Thursday in case the Mets needed him for the finale of the Chicago Cubs series in which New York lost all four games. View full rumor

With one infielder back, another has gone down. The New York Mets on Thursday placed second baseman Marcus Semien on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hip flexor. Infielder Ronny Mauricio was called up from Triple-A Syracuse a day after coming off the 60-day IL and being sent down. Semien played both ends of Wednesday's doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs, going 1-for-8. Going on the IL is a rare occurrence for Semien. When he fractured a bone in his left foot on a foul ball in August, it sent him to the IL for the first time since 2017. But Semien is also having one of his worst offensive seasons, putting up a .214/.271/.341 slash line with nine homers and 29 RBIs while playing all 80 games. Semien's exit comes a day after shortstop Francisco Lindor returned from a strained left calf that kept him sidelined since April 23. Mauricio was supposed to be Lindor's replacement, but he broke his left thumb May 5 and had been out since then. Now he will get a chance to fill in for Semien. Mauricio was 7-for-32 with a homer and two RBIs in 10 games before being injured. View full rumor

The New York Mets have their infield anchor back. Shortstop Francisco Lindor was activated from the 10-day injured list in time for the Mets' second game of a doubleheader Wednesday. The Mets lost to the Chicago Cubs 10-3 in the opener. Shortstop Ronny Mauricio was also activated from the 10-day IL following a fractured left thumb and optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Shortstop Zack Short was designated for assignment as right-hander Jonathan Pintaro was brought up from Triple-A as the extra player for the doubleheader. Lindor has been out since April 23 with a strained left calf. He has appeared in just 24 games this season with a .226/.314/.355 slash line with two homers and five RBIs. Mauricio, who had been called up to fill in for Lindor, went on the IL on May 3. Short appeared in just three games and went 1-for-8 after being claimed off waivers June 15 from the Detroit Tigers, who had designated him for assignment. View full rumor

The New York Mets have taken a chance on an outfielder. Jared Oliva was claimed by the Mets on Tuesday off waivers from the San Francisco Giants. Oliver was activated by the Giants off the 60-day injured list and then designated for assignment. The Mets had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so no countermove will be needed there. Oliva does have an option left, so he could be sent to Triple-A Syracuse or added to the major-league roster. The speedy 30-year-old was a feel-good story for the Giants, making the Opening Day roster after not having played in the majors since 2021 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In addition to the Pirates, who drafted him in the seventh round in 2017 out of Arizona, Oliva has spent time with the Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers before signing a minor-league deal with the Giants this offseason. Oliva appeared in seven games with the Giants this year, going 1-for-7 before sustaining a hamate bone injury, which required surgery. View full rumor