2:40pm: The Mets have now officially announced these moves and a few others. They also optioned right-hander Justin Hagenman and placed outfielder/designated hitter Jesse Winker on the 10-day IL due to back inflammation. Right-hander Austin Warren and infielder Jared Young were recalled to take those two spots.
10:21am: The Mets will designate right-hander Rico Garcia for assignment today in order to open a spot on the roster for the return of ace Kodai Senga, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Garcia is out of minor league options and couldn’t be sent back to Triple-A without being exposed to waivers.
Garcia signed a minor league deal with the Mets over the winter. The 31-year-old righty was selected to the major league roster eight days ago and has since pitched in two games, tossing 4 2/3 shutout frames with just one hit and no walks allowed. He’s punched out three hitters and shown career-best velocity on his four-seamer, averaging 96.1 mph and topping out at 98 mph. He’s using that four-seamer less than in prior seasons, in large part due to a newly incorporated slider/cutter he’s added to his typical four-seam/curveball/changeup repertoire.
That short run was Garcia’s first big league work since 2023, when he pitched 11 2/3 innings between the A’s and Nats but was tagged for a dozen runs. He’s spent the rest of the 2025 season in Triple-A Syracuse, pitching to a 4.45 ERA with a strong 27.4% strikeout rate but also an alarming 14.8% walk rate in 30 1/3 innings. Garcia has had plenty of success in Triple-A, regularly showing better-than-average ability to miss bats but also below-average command. He has a 6.47 ERA in 40 1/3 MLB frames split between the Rockies, Mets, A’s, Nats, Giants and Orioles.
The Mets have regularly cycled through journeymen relievers with the final couple spots in their bullpen. Garcia has pitched better than the others in his brief look but will still meet the same fate. He’ll be placed on waivers or traded within the next five days. He’s been outrighted in the past, so if he clears waivers he’ll be able to reject an outright assignment to the minors in favor of free agency.
Hmmm. Been nice knowing you.
There’s got to something better than endless recycling of relievers in mlb. How is this good for anyone or anything.
27 man rosters?
It’s too bad the Mets don’t have two guys in AAA pitching like aces. Seriously though, I hope whatever he’s doing doesn’t come back to bite Sterns at the end of the season. Punting multiple games in a season with WS aspirations is really risky.
I guess he’s keeping them from being exposed before the trade deadline
Pitching line aces to lineups that are consistently – at best – the 7,8,9 hitters in a MLB lineup. Stats at AAA/AA are not reliable predictors of MLB value. A lot of traditional scouting us needed to evskuate his ready a MiLB prospect is to make a meaningful contribution.
Your point being?
His point being what the pitchers are doing in AAA has zero reflection on what they might do when they are fist called up. Its all a moot point because they have only one pitcher doing well (McLean) at that level, not two. And he’s only been there for ten starts. Not enough to know yet whether or not he will even sustain success at that level, let alone the majors.
Maybe a GM who knows how to build a bullpen
I don’t get it. They have 2 pitchers who also threwca lot of pitches yesterday and won’t be available until after the ASB in Hagenman and Waddell.
Garcia’s been great and could be available Sunday.
Hagenman and Waddell have minor league options. Garcia does not. His DFA is probably one of multiple roster moves coming today. (Winker might also need an IL stint.) Seems likely that one or both of Waddell/Hagenman will be optioned to bring in fresh arms.
Maybe team will select Hamel and Ross with Waddell/Hagemann being optioned. They now have 2 empty roster spots.
Senga starts today
Need 40 man for Senga. Others have options so don’t need to be released. But at least Garcia learned a slider out of signing w/ the Mets. He might have a better chance at sticking on someone else’s roster and I think he’d be good w/ that
@ Chris: Not accurate. Senga was only on the 15-day IL, not the 60-day. As such, he is already on the 40-man. They only needed a spot on the 26-man active roster.
Thanks, Chris. I forgot about the arcane 40 man roster rules.
Should Nats sign him?
Garcia is not a good pitcher. I don’t care that he didn’t give up a run. Jose Castillo had an era of 2.38 with the Mets and he might be in my top 5 of worst relievers that I’ve ever seen play for the Mets
Stearns, is an idiot! Garcia has been lights out for them and you dfa him? Why not Stanick who has just been atrocious?
Stanek is brutal, Stearns is the Stanek of GM’s.
Factzzzz brother!
The simple truth is they’d have to eat more $ by cutting Stanek. When Stanek is on, he is great and can mow people down. Unfortunately, we’re getting a lot of Stinky Stanek. I think we’ll see Garcia back if he accepts the assignment. He’s done his job and has earned additional looks. Then again, they may need openings on the staff for any trade acquisitions and for Brooks Raley.
The need for openings has no bearing on Garcia. He is already off of the 40-man due to the DFA. Accepting the outright assignment does not add him back. It makes him a non-roster minor leaguer.
As for finding room for him later, its a long season and there’s still a lot of it left. More than enough for injuries and DFA’s to create new openings.
Rico is no longer suavé…