The New York Mets officially selected the contract of left-hander Brandon Waddell on Wednesday, calling him up from Triple-A Syracuse. The move came as the team prepared for a stretch of playing 13 straight games.
Right-hander Kevin Herget was optioned to Syracuse as the corresponding active roster move. The Mets had an open spot on their 40-man roster after designating José Ureña for assignment earlier in the week.
Waddell was brought up to pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was expected to either start or work bulk innings behind an opener. The decision was related to managing the workload of other starters, including giving Kodai Senga his regular rest day.
He has made five starts at Triple-A this season, posting a 1-1 record. In 23 1/3 innings, he allowed 1.54 earned runs per nine innings with a 21.6% strikeout rate and 7.2% walk rate.
The left-hander last pitched in Major League Baseball in 2021. He tossed 12 2/3 innings over the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the Pirates, Twins, Orioles, and St. Louis Cardinals.
From 2022 through 2024, Waddell pitched in Korea for the Doosan Bears of the KBO League. He totaled 244 2/3 innings there with a 2.98 ERA before signing a minor league deal with the Mets in the offseason.
In related roster news, the Mets placed left-handed reliever Danny Young on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Sunday, with a sprained pitching elbow. This move adds to the bullpen's injury issues, as top left-handed reliever A.J. Minter is also on the IL with a lat strain.
Veteran right-hander Chris Devenski was also selected from Triple-A. Left-hander Brooks Raley was transferred to the 60-day IL while recovering from elbow surgery.
Manager Carlos Mendoza discussed the qualities Waddell brings to the team.
“A guy that is more of a pitchability-type guy,” Mendoza said. “Moves the ball around. Strike thrower. Been in professional baseball for a long time, and he'll play a big part of this game today.”
