The Mets introduced Wednesday that they’ve claimed left-hander Alex Younger off waivers from the Giants and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse. Fellow lefty Tyler Jay was designated for task with the intention to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
It’s a fast turnaround for Younger, whom the Giants acquired simply final week within the commerce that despatched outfielder Austin Slater and money to the Reds. San Francisco seemingly hoped to go Younger by waivers and retain the southpaw as a depth possibility, however the Mets didn’t permit that to occur and can maintain Younger on their 40-man roster in the interim. The weird sequence leaves the Giants with no return of which to talk for Slater, a 2014 eighth-rounder who’s been a strong function participant for them through the years earlier than struggling to career-worst outcomes on the plate in 2024.
Younger, 30, has pitched in elements of six large league seasons — together with a short two-inning stint with Cincinnati earlier this season. The previous second-round decide has a profession 4.40 earned run common in 264 large league innings and has fanned 19.5% of his opponents in opposition to an 8.5% stroll charge. Although he debuted as a starter with the 2019 Diamondbacks, Younger has labored primarily as a reliever since that point and hasn’t began a recreation since 2022.
Younger didn’t permit a run in his two innings with the Reds this season, and he’s been wonderful in 24 2/3 Triple-A frames as nicely, logging a tidy 2.19 ERA with a 23.5% strikeout charge and eight.2% stroll charge between the associates for the Reds and Giants. The southpaw has a shaky 4.99 ERA in 209 1/3 profession innings on the Triple-A stage, though that’s skewed by a pair of dismal debut campaigns in Triple-A with the D-backs in 2018-19. He’s pitched nicely on the high minor league stage in every of the previous three seasons now.
That is Younger’s remaining minor league possibility 12 months. The Mets can shuttle him between Syracuse and Queens for the rest of the season, however Younger would want to stay on the large league roster in 2025 and past. He crossed 4 years of massive league service time earlier this season whereas on the 60-day injured listing with a again situation, which means he will be managed for one more two seasons, by the 2026 marketing campaign, if he makes an excellent impression on his new membership.
For Jay, this would be the second time this season the Mets have designated him for task. He was additionally DFA’ed after making his large league debut again in April. He caught with the group after clearing outright waivers.
The 30-year-old Jay the No. 6 total draft select of Illinois again in 2015 and for years ranked as one of many extra promising arms within the Twins’ system. He handled repeated shoulder and neck accidents all through his time in Minnesota’s system, nevertheless, and ultimately underwent thoracic outlet surgical procedure. He was out of affiliated ball at one level, earlier than parlaying a displaying with the Joliet Slammers of the unbiased Frontier League right into a minor league look with the Mets.
Jay has solely pitched 4 2/3 large league innings for the Mets this season. He’s surrendered 4 runs on seven hits and three walks with three strikeouts in that point. He’s spent the rest of the season in Syracuse, working to a robust 2.40 ERA with a below-average 18.6% strikeout charge however a sensational 2.5% stroll charge. The Mets will both commerce Jay or place him on outright waivers within the subsequent 5 days. Waivers would then be an extra 48-hour course of. If he goes unclaimed, Jay may have the best to reject an outright task in favor of free company, as is the case for any participant who’s been outrighted a number of instances in his profession.
