The Mets used 66 players in 2025, with 46 of those appearing on a pitching mound at some point in their 162 games. While some 2025 performances are not soon to be forgotten (Juan Soto’s 43 home runs, Nolan
McLean’s phenomenal second half), there are a fair number of players who, if you haven’t already forgotten they exist, will surely escape to the folds of your grey matter soon enough, lest you need a Mets/Mariners square on Immaculate Grid.
And so, we’re going to look back at some of the players who didn’t have career years, showed incredible promise, or made a huge impact on the team. We’re remembering some 2025 guys.
Part III: Ten Items Appearances Or Less
For today’s list, we are looking all all players who played in no more than ten games for the Mets this season. However, we are not going to discuss Nolan McLean, who will get a season review of his own later this month.
Frankie Montas – June 24, June 29, July 5, July 12, July 22, July 28, August 3, August 9, August 15
There was a feeling that when the Mets signed Frankie Montas in the offseason that David Stearns was about to pull off another Luis Severino/Sean Manaea reclamation project. Montas has been a pitcher who flashed brilliance in certain games, but overall had not been consistent in the slightest. He started the season on the IL, not making his 2025 debut until 1/3 of the season was done. After an initial good start (five shutout innings against the Braves), Montas was more or less bad.
After that first start, every one of his appearances saw at least one earned run, even in his two relief appearances. He never got out of the sixth inning, and never had an ERA under five after his first start. Montas didn’t look comfortable at all, and when it was announced that he would need elbow surgery, it came as no surprise to anyone.
It looks like Montas will miss most or all of the 2026 season which will help the Mets and their starting pitching logjam, but will go down as one of the biggest missteps of the Stearns front office thus far.
Paul Blackburn – June 2, June 8, June 13, June 18, June 23, June 38, August 13
Blackburn became a Met at the deadline in 2024, traded from the (then) Oakland Athletics for minor leaguer Kade Morris. Blackburn made five starts for the Mets in 2024 before hitting the Injured List after being hit by a come-backer, but then was sidelined for the rest of the season with a truly scary cerebrospinal fluid leak.
After a spring hampered by right-knee inflammation, Blackburn made his first appearance for the Mets on June 2, going five scoreless innings, giving up three hits and striking out three while walking one. This would be easily Blackburn’s best game as a 2025 Met. He would give up 15 earned runs over his final six appearances as a Met. In a particularly terrible appearance against the Rays, Blackburn faced five batters, recording just one out, and giving up four earned runs.
On August 16th, Blackburn was designated for assignment and released on the 19th. He was picked up by the Yankees two days after that and made eight appearances for the team, working exclusively in relief. Aside from a ghastly first appearance which saw Blackburn give up seven earned runs in three and a third innings, Blackburn was much better in pinstripes, allowing just eight baserunners and two runs over twelve innings.
Justin Hagenman – April 16, June 19, July 4, July 10, August 6, August 9, August 12, September 3, September 9
Hagenman was drafted by the Dodgers in 2018 and was traded to the Red Sox as part of the Kiké Hernández trade in 2023. After never making the majors and electing free agency at the end of the 2024 season, Hagenman was signed by the Mets on November 18. The Voorhes, NJ native made appearances in every month but May for the Mets. Across his nine appearances, Hagenman was mostly cromulent but had a few rough games, including a three-home run surrendering turn against the Yankees at Citi Field on Independence Day. The Mets wound up winning that game, but didn’t win when in his last appearance when he gave up five earned runs on eight hits in three innings of work. Hagenman still has two minor league options remaining, so if he survives the 40-Man Roster crunch, don’t be surprised to see him in a similar role in 2026.
Rico Garcia – July 6, July 10, July 22, July 25, July 28, July 30, August 1, August 2
Signed as a minor league free agent late last year, it took until early July for Garcia to get his first 2025 call-up. He was very good in two appearances, going four and two-thirds innings of one-hit ball. However, the roster crunch reared its ugly head, and Garcia was DFA’d in order to make a roster spot for Kodai Senga.
Garcia was claimed by the Yankees, for whom he made a single appearance against the Braves where he got rocked for three earned runs. The Mets claimed him again just a few days later, and he pitched another six mostly effective appearances before being DFA’d again, this time in favor of Austin Warren. The Orioles then snapped him up, and he remained a perfectly fine member of the bullpen for the remainder of the season.
Kevin Herget – April 29, July 21, August 28, September 2, September 6, September 26
Herget was a waiver claim last November from the Brewers, and the Bergen County, NJ native made just one appearance for the Mets in April before being DFA’d and picked up by the Braves. He made just one appearance for Atlanta before being DFA’d again and returned to Queens. From there, he made five more appearances, mostly toward the end of the season. Aside from one poor performance in a rout against the Tigers, Herget was a reliable, if unspectacular, reliever for the club. He elected free agency at the end of the season.
Richard “Dicky” Lovelady – June 24, June 29, July 2, July 6, July 8, July 10, September 20, September 24
After proclaiming he now wanted to be known as “Dicky” before quickly changing course, Lovelady signed with the Mets after being released by the Twins in mid-June. In his first two Mets appearances he got rocked, giving up four earned runs in three and two-thirds innings. He settled down after that a bit, but was never sniffed a high-leverage option with the club and was eventually DFA’d to make room in the bullpen for a fresh arm. However, he was brought back shortly thereafter and made two more appearances for the club in late September.
Surprisingly – not because he was bad or didn’t earn a longer look – the Mets signed Lovelady to a major league contract in October, so expect Lovelady to be part of the bullpen picture in 2026.
Dedniel Núñez – May 5, May 9, May 12, May 14, May 16, June 22, June 24, June 26, June 29, July 2
In 2024, Núñez emerged as an electric arm for the Mets’ bullpen. A longtime Met farm hand, Núñez began to have some arm issues at the end of last season and only appeared in one game after July in 2024. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection to hopefully avoid his second Tommy John Surgery but, instead, it only delayed the inevitable, as after just ten appearances in 2025, Núñez was placed back on the Injured List and had Tommy John in July. He wasn’t quite his electric self in 2025, but aside from one really bad appearance in May where he couldn’t get a single out and led to the dreaded infinity ERA, he was more or less effective with reduced stuff.
Look for Núñez to show up in late 2026, hopefully healthy, and to regain his spot in the middle of the Mets’ bullpen.
Danny Young – March 27, March 31, April 2, April 7, April 8, April 9, April 15, April 20, April 23, April 26
Young had a good 2024 for the Mets and, with the signing of AJ Minter in the offseason, seemed poised to be the second southpaw out of the ‘pen in 2025. Carlos Mendoza used him ten times in the Mets’ first 27 games and, aside from two poor showings (though both in Met wins), he looked more or less like his 2024 self: a good, not great, lefty.
However, Tommy John came calling, and Young underwent surgery in early May, which means that he could be a relief piece for the Mets next season. However, with no minor league options remaining and coming off of surgery, there are no guarantees for Young.
Génesis Cabrera – May 1, May 4, May 10, May 14, May 18, May 23
Before joining the Mets in 2025, Cabrera had pitched for two major league clubs: the Cardinals and the Blue Jays. Since joining the Mets, Cabrera has now pitched for four more: the Mets, the Cubs, the Pirates, and the Twins. After making six appearances for New York, all in May, Cabrera was released by the club and picked up by tte Cubs for nine appearances. After being released there, he was picked up by the Pirates for nine more appearances. In mid-August, he again changed clubs, joining the Twins for 16 appearances to round out a wild season in two different leagues and three different divisions. He was best for the Mets of all of those clubs in limited work, but didn’t pitch enough (7.2 IP) to really make an impression one way or the other.
