The sinking Mets made a flurry of roster moves before Tuesday afternoon’s middle game against the Reds at Citi Field. The Mets reinstated A.J. Minter and Jared Young from the Injured List, placed Tyrone Taylor on the 10-Day Injured List with a right hip flexor strain, optioned Nick Morabito and Jonathan Pintaro to Triple-A Syracuse, promoted infielder Eric Wagaman, and will make another corresponding 40-man roster move prior to first pitch at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Minter, who signed a 2-year, $22 million
contract in January 2025, underwent season-ending lat surgery in early May after posting a sparkling 1.64 ERA in 13 appearances with the Mets. The left-hander had rehab stints this spring with Single-A St. Lucie, High-A Brooklyn, and most recently Triple-A Syracuse, where he worked a scoreless inning on Sunday. He joins Brooks Raley to form a reliable duo of southpaws at the back end of the Mets’ bullpen.
Pintaro, who allowed just one baserunner and struck out three in 3.2 innings of work since joining the big league club on Saturday, was the odd man out as Minter makes his return.
Just as the Mets get one position player back from injury, they lose another. After appearing to tweak something while getting out of the box on a ground ball during Monday’s game, Taylor is officially headed to the IL. Carlos Mendoza wouldn’t put a strict timetable on Taylor’s recovery, but expressed hope that it would be two or three weeks.
Meanwhile, Jared Young, who had been sidelined since April 13 with a left meniscus tear, returns from his rehab assignment to a roster now occupied with other left-handed options including MJ Melendez and A.J. Ewing. Young and Melendez will both get the starting nod at first base and left field, respectively, on Tuesday night against Cincinnati starter Chase Burns. Prior to his injury, Young put up an .841 OPS in 23 plate appearances with the Mets.
After exactly one week in the majors, Nick Morabito is headed back to Triple-A in order to keep him playing every day, according to Mendoza. The 23-year-old — who ranked No. 15 on Amazin’ Avenue’s top prospect list entering the season — went hitless in 11 at-bats with the Mets, but flashed his good glove in the outfield.
Eric Wagaman, a late April waiver claim, will join the big league roster for the second time this season in search of his Mets debut. The 28-year-old infielder has a career .674 OPS and 0.0 bWAR in 158 games with the Angels and Marlins, but he was absolutely raking with Syracuse, holding a 1.043 OPS over 52 plate appearances and a .481 batting average over his past eight games.
