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Huascar Brazoban

Frankie Montas Done For 2025 Due To “Pretty Significant” UCL Injury

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4:13pm: Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters (including Mike Puma of the New York Post) that Montas’s UCL injury is “pretty significant.” Mendoza went on to confirm that Montas will not pitch again in 2025.

2:21pm: The Mets announced that Frankie Montas has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to August 22) due to a UCL-related injury in his right elbow.  Right-hander Huascar Brazoban has been called up from Triple-A to take Montas’ spot on the active roster.

It’s the latest setback in what was been a brutal inaugural season for Montas in Queens. The right-hander signed a $34MM guarantee with the Mets during the winter but has produced just 38 2/3 innings of work for the team so far. A lat strain suffered at the outset of Spring Training left Montas to open the season on the injured list and he did not make his season debut until June 24. After throwing five scoreless innings in his first start of the year, Montas pitched to a ghastly 7.85 ERA over his next six starts with an 18.2% strikeout rate and a whopping seven home runs allowed. Those brutal results led the Mets to move Montas to the bullpen earlier this month, where he’s surrendered four runs (two earned) on four walks and six hits (including a home run) while striking out just three.

Altogether, Montas has posted a 6.28 ERA and a 5.31 FIP during his time with the Mets with an 18.0% strikeout rate and a 7.9% walk rate. It’s a deeply disappointing outcome, and now it’s an open question when Montas will next be available to pitch. The Mets have made no announcements about the right-hander’s timeline for return, nor offered any indications about the severity of the injury. Of course, many fans will wonder about the possibility of Tommy John surgery, which is often required to repair a pitcher’s UCL once damaged. Such a procedure (or even a less-invasive internal brace procedure) would likely cost Montas not only the remainder of this year but also the entire 2026 season. With that being said, some UCL injuries are possible to address via rehab. That’s a path that Braves hurler Grant Holmes opted to take earlier this month as he deals with a partial UCL tear, though even Holmes’s rehab process has brought his 2025 campaign to an abrupt end.

While the details of Montas’s prognosis and timeline for return won’t be clear until the Mets make an announcement offering more information, the club will be without the right-hander for at least the immediate future. Given the fact that Montas’s performance was poor enough that he was bumped from the rotation earlier this month, perhaps that’s not too massive of a blow. Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, David Peterson, and Clay Holmes remain in the club’s rotation and have recently been joined by top prospect Nolan McLean. Brandon Waddell and Justin Hagenman remain in the minors already on the 40-man roster as potential depth options behind that group, and well-regarded prospect Brandon Sproat has a 4.24 ERA in 24 starts at Triple-A this year.

Replacing Montas on the roster is Brazoban, who began his career in the majors with Miami back in 2022 but has served as an up-and-down relief arm for the Mets this year. It’s a role he’s performed quite well in, with a 3.83 ERA and 4.14 FIP across 51 2/3 innings of work spread between 3 starts and 41 relief outings. Brazoban figures to take up Montas’s mantle as the club’s long reliever going forward.

Mets Re-Sign Chris Devenski

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The Mets announced that they have signed right-hander Chris Devenski to a one-year major league deal. Fellow righty Huascar Brazobán has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse as the corresponding active roster move. The 40-man roster already had a vacancy.

Devenski was just removed from the Mets’ roster a week ago when he was designated for assignment. He later cleared waivers and elected free agency, but he has quickly returned to the Mets on a fresh pact.

Before losing his spot, Devenski gave the Mets 11 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits, three walks and hitting three opponents, striking out nine along the way. He has spent more time in Triple-A this year, tossing 25 innings with a 4.32 ERA, 17.2% strikeout rate, 4% walk rate and 50.6% ground ball rate.

The Mets have suffered a number of pitching injuries this year and have been churning through veterans at the fringe of the roster. A.J. Minter, Danny Young, Max Kranick and Dedniel Núñez have all been felled by season-ending surgeries. The club has responded by grabbing guys like Devenski, José Castillo, Génesis Cabrera, Richard Lovelady, José Ureña and others, bouncing them on and off the roster.

The Mets are reportedly setting the bullpen as a high priority ahead of Thursday’s deadline. They have already acquired Gregory Soto from the Orioles and should be making further moves in the next 48 hours. Devenski could get bumped off the roster yet again as those moves get finalized in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of Gregory Fisher, Imagn Images

Mets Announce Several Roster Decisions

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5:14PM: Acuna will also make the team, according to Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extra Base.

2:22PM: The Mets will break camp with infielder Brett Baty, catcher Hayden Senger and righties Max Kranick and Huascar Brazoban on the roster, president of baseball operations David Stearns announced to the team’s beat this afternoon (links via Newsday’s Tim Healey). A decision on infielder Luisangel Acuña has not yet been reached. The Mets could still bring an infielder in from outside the organization, per Healey. Senger is not on the 40-man roster, but the Mets currently have one opening.

On top of that, Stearns revealed that righty Paul Blackburn will begin the season on the injured list due to inflammation in his right knee. He won’t throw for the next seven to ten days, but the team expects that Blackburn will return at some point in April.

Injuries to Jeff McNeil, Nick Madrigal and Ronny Mauricio (still rehabbing from last year’s ACL tear) opened the door for Baty or Acuña to break camp with the Mets in 2025. Early on, Acuña seemed like the more natural fit, given his ability to back up Francisco Lindor at shortstop. However, some struggles from Acuña and an absolute monster performance from Baty during Grapefruit League play has given Baty the nod, even if he’s not a viable shortstop option and has limited experience at second base, where he’ll play to begin the season.

In 59 spring plate appearances, Baty launched four homers, six doubles and a triple — all while walking more often (13.6%) than he struck out (10.2%). He finished the spring with a Herculean .353/.441/.745 batting line and will now see regular time at second base while McNeil is on the shelf. If Baty continues to hit, the Mets will be hard-pressed to send him back down, though that’s putting the cart before the horse.

Baty, a 2019 first-rounder and longtime top prospect, has seen action in parts of three MLB seasons but has yet to put it together in the majors. He’s .215/.282/.325 hitter in 602 big league plate appearances. He also only just turned 25 this offseason, however, and Baty boasts a terrific track record in Triple-A. He’s played parts of three seasons at the top minor league level and turned in a hearty .273/.368/.531 in 94 games there. That .899 OPS is a near-mirror image of the .900 mark he logged in 129 Double-A games and the .911 mark he recorded in 51 High-A games.

Senger, 27, was the Mets’ 24th-round pick back in 2018. He’s slowly climbed the minor league ladder for several years, splitting time the past three seasons between New York’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. In 2024, he turned in a combined .234/.302/.363 slash between the two levels. He ranked as highly as 23rd in the Mets’ system back in 2022, with Baseball America calling him a likely backup who has better-than-average blocking and throwing skills. He’s thwarted 31% and 37% of stolen base attempts against him over the past two seasons, even as limits on throws to first base and slightly larger bases have resulted in far greater success for runners on the basepaths.

Were it not for an injury to Francisco Alvarez, Senger likely wouldn’t have been in position to earn a roster spot. Alvarez fractured the hamate bone in his left wrist during batting practice earlier in camp, however, which required surgery. He’ll miss at least a month of the season. Journeyman Luis Torrens will break camp as the Mets’ starting catcher.

The Mets acquired Blackburn from the A’s last summer, but he’s scarcely been able to pitch for the team. The 31-year-old righty (30 at the time of the swap) pitched in only five games before a comeback liner struck his right hand and sent him to the injured list. He avoided any fractures, but Blackburn required some down time due to swelling and a lack of mobility. While on the mend, he suffered a spinal fluid leak in his back. He didn’t return in 2024 and underwent surgery in October.

Blackburn is a late bloomer who clearly has the ability to pitch in a big league rotation but has repeatedly been set back by uncommon injuries. On top of the spinal issue last year, he’s also missed significant time due to a stress reaction in his right foot and a torn pulley tendon in his right middle finger. Dating back to 2022, Blackburn has a 4.43 ERA, 20.2% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate in 290 1/3 MLB frames.

It’s been a tough spring for the Mets’ rotation. Frankie Montas was diagnosed with a lat strain shortly after camp opened, leading to a full shutdown of six to eight weeks. Sean Manaea suffered an oblique strain not long after that. Prospect Christian Scott is still recovering from last summer’s Tommy John surgery.

The Mets will open the season with a rotation that includes Opening Day starter Clay Holmes, lefty David Peterson and righties Kodai Senga, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning.

Kodai Senga To Start NLDS Game One For Mets

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TODAY: The Mets made Senga’s return official when announcing their NLDS roster this morning.  Senga was activated from the 60-day IL and Megill was also added to the 26-man roster that will face the Phillies.  Right-handers Huascar Brazoban and Max Kranick were removed from the Wild Card Series roster to make room for Senga and Megill, and Blackburn was moved to the 60-day IL in the corresponding 40-man move for Senga.

OCTOBER 4: The Mets are facing off against the Phillies in the National League Division Series, with the first game set for Saturday afternoon. Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters today that right-hander Kodai Senga will start that first game for the Mets. Mike Puma of The New York Post was among those to relay the news on X.

The Mets have received close to nothing from Senga this year. He suffered a capsule strain in his throwing shoulder in Spring Training, which kept him on the injured list for months. He was reinstated off the injured list and made his season debut on July 26, but was removed from that game after 5 1/3 innings due to a calf strain and went right back on the IL. He tried to return late in the regular season but was slowed by some triceps soreness.

That lack of production from Senga was a blow to the Mets. He made his major league debut in 2023 and tossed 166 1/3 innings with a 2.98 earned run average. His 11.1% walk rate was on the high side but he struck out 29.1% of batters faced and got grounders at a 44.7% clip. Despite that, the Mets managed to squeak into the postseason and then defeat the Brewers in the Wild Card series while Senga remained on the IL.

Yesterday, Will Sammon of Athletic reported that the Mets were considering Senga for their NLDS roster. Now it seems that the righty will not only get a roster spot but will take the ball to get the series started.

The question will be what the Mets can expect from Senga after so much time off. Per Sammon’s report, he recently threw a 25-pitch bullpen session but will probably be limited to a short outing, so perhaps this will be Senga acting more as an opener than a true starter in the classically understood sense. “We’ll see,” Mendoza said today when asked about how long Senga can go, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com on X. “We’re going to let it play out.”

The Mets have had to get creative with their pitching staff lately. Two of their games against Atlanta in the final week of the regular season were delayed by Hurricane Helene. While 28 of the 30 clubs in the league had the day off on Monday, those two clubs had to play a double-header as each still needed a victory to get into the playoffs. The Mets won the first game in an 8-7 thriller, using Tylor Megill as the starter and then four relievers, including closer Edwin Díaz throwing 40 pitchers as he got the final five outs.

With their playoff spot secured, they used Joey Lucchesi and two relievers to get through the second game of the twin bill, but then they had to start their series in Milwaukee the very next day. Luis Severino started the first game, Sean Manaea the second and Jose Quintana the third. To get through last night’s game, Díaz threw another 39 pitches while again getting five outs and starter David Peterson also tossed an inning of relief.

None of the club’s front three of Severino, Manaea or Quintana would be available on regular rest for Saturday’s first game against Philadelphia. Megill would be an option to take some bulk innings, but he was left off the Wild Card roster since he wasn’t going to be available for those contests. If both Senga and Megill are to be added, the Mets would have to open two spots by leaving off a couple of guys that were present of the Wild Card round. Peterson could perhaps be another option for bulk innings, as he tossed seven innings as recently as September 29.

The full roster decisions don’t have to be publicly announced until Saturday morning. Senga is on the 60-day IL and will need to be added back onto the 40-man roster, but the Mets could easily open a spot by transferring Paul Blackburn or Dedniel Núñez onto the 60-day IL. The Phillies have announced that Zack Wheeler will start game one, followed by Cristopher Sánchez in game two.

Mets Place Paul Blackburn On 15-Day Injured List

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The Mets announced that right-hander Paul Blackburn has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to August 24) due to a right hand bruise.  Righty Huascar Brazoban was called up from Triple-A to take Blackburn’s spot on the active roster.

Acquired in a deadline trade from the Athletics, Blackburn has an inconsistent 5.18 ERA over five starts with New York, as he has mixed three quality outings amidst a pair of rough performances.  His former Oakland team tagged him with six earned runs over four innings on August 13, and Blackburn was charged with five ER over 2 1/3 innings against the Padres on Friday.  The tough night was made worse when Blackburn was hit in the hand by a David Peralta line drive, which forced him out of the game.

On the plus side, a CT scan revealed only a bruise, and Blackburn was initially hopeful he could avoid the injured list altogether.  However, a throwing session today resulted in “a lot of stiffness and soreness,” as Blackburn told Newsday’s Tim Healey and other reporters.  The decision was then made to put Blackburn on the IL to give him time to fully recover, and the right-hander feels he can return after just the minimum 15 days.

The Mets have an off-day tomorrow but then play nine games in as many days before their next break on September 5.  At least one start will need to covered to account for Blackburn’s turn in the rotation, and Tylor Megill is probably the most logical candidate to be summoned from Triple-A for a spot outing or two.  The Monday off-day gives the Mets some time to plan how they’ll approach Blackburn’s absence, and perhaps see if any further discomfort or swelling provides any change to his timeline.

Mets Acquire Huascar Brazoban From Marlins

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The Mets acquired reliever Huascar Brazoban from the division-rival Marlins. Infield prospect Wilfredo Lara went back to Miami.

Brazoban wasn’t the subject of much trade speculation until today. He emerged as a late target for teams seeking relief help amidst a quietly strong season. Brazoban has tossed 30 2/3 innings through 20 appearances. He’s allowing only 2.93 earned runs per nine while striking out 27.2% of batters faced. Brazoban is getting grounders half the time opponents do make contact while limiting his walk rate to a solid 8.8% clip.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Brazoban has pitched in Miami for the past three seasons. He spent a decade in pro ball before getting his first major league look. Brazoban pitched in the Colorado system and spent some time in independent ball. It wasn’t until 2022 that he got a big league opportunity, shortly before his 33rd birthday.

Since he got such a late start to his MLB career, Brazoban is in an odd spot. He’s under team control for another four seasons beyond this one and won’t even qualify for arbitration for two seasons. The Marlins were under no financial pressure to move him, but he’s also very unlikely to be pitching at this level the next time Miami makes an effort to compete. The Fish fielded offers on a number of their relievers and ultimately cashed Brazoban in for a future asset.

Lara, 20, is a right-handed hitting infielder out of the Dominican Republic. He’s hitting .244/.349/.343 across 332 plate appearances in High-A this season. He’s drawing walks at a robust 12% clip while striking out 22.6% of the time. He’s a low-level developmental flier for the Fish.

The Mets designated catcher Logan Porter  to open a spot on their 40-man roster for Brazoban. New York signed him to a split contract a couple weeks ago. They’ve kept him in Triple-A on optional assignment. Porter’s major league experience comprises 11 games with the Royals last season.

Christina De Nicola of MLB.com first reported the Mets were acquiring Brazoban. Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase reported Miami was getting Lara in return.

Padres Have Discussed Multiple Marlins Relievers

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The Padres paid a hefty prospect price to add Jason Adam to their late-innings mix over the weekend. San Diego is open to bringing in more relief help. Dennis Lin of the Athletic reports that the Padres have discussed Miami right-handers Anthony Bender and Huascar Brazoban among that search. Lin’s colleague Ken Rosenthal wrote this morning that the Fish are fielding offers on essentially all their relievers. Closer Tanner Scott is the most obvious name, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Miami part with anyone from their bullpen.

Bender and Brazoban would be affordable targets for a San Diego team that doesn’t want to surpass the luxury tax threshold. Brazoban is still two years away from reaching arbitration. Bender qualified for early arbitration last winter as a Super Two player. After missing the 2023 season to Tommy John surgery, though, he’s barely making more than the league minimum in his first trip through that process.

The asking price would probably be higher on the 29-year-old Bender, who has a 3.83 ERA over 40 innings of work. He’s striking out 24.4% of batters faced against a 7% walk rate while getting grounders at a 49.1% clip. Brazoban has been even more effective, turning in a 2.93 earned run average with a 27.2% strikeout rate across 30 2/3 frames. He’ll turn 35 in October, though, so a rebuilding Miami team shouldn’t have many qualms about giving him up for young talent.

MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell tweets that the Padres are hoping to come out of deadline season with another acquisition for both the rotation and the relief group. Lin writes that San Diego is among the teams that have shown interest in Miami starter Trevor Rogers. Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald tweeted this afternoon that Miami’s talks on Rogers with multiple teams were picking up and the Marlins were likely to trade him somewhere soon. That at least opens the speculative possibility of some kind of package deal involving one of Miami’s relievers, though there’s not any indication that San Diego’s talks with Miami have gotten that far-reaching.

Marlins Could Trade Multiple Relievers

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With a 97 mile per hour fastball and a 29% strikeout rate, Marlins lefty Tanner Scott is one of the better relievers likely to be dealt today – especially since he’s eligible for free agency after the season.  But it’s also worth considering several lower-profile members of the Marlins’ bullpen, with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic naming Huascar Brazoban, Anthony Bender, and Declan Cronin as trade candidates in an article today.

The Marlins already traded their setup man, A.J. Puk, to the Diamondbacks five days ago.  Third in leverage index for manager Skip Schumaker over the last month after Scott and Puk: Brazoban.  Brazoban, 35 in October, broke into the Majors with the Fish as a 32-year-old.  His fastball sits around 96 miles per hour, and this year he’s improved both his strikeout and walk rates to reach 27.2% and 8.8%, respectively.  He also has a healthy 50% groundball rate.  Team control is perhaps less exciting for a player soon to turn 35, but Brazoban will not be eligible for arbitration until 2026, and would reach free agency after 2028.

Brazoban has shined over his last ten appearances, with no runs allowed and a 34.5 K%.  He could be just as effective as some of the household names changing teams this month, and he’s earning a mere $753K.

Rosenthal also mentioned Bender, a 29-year-old righty who missed all of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery.  Bender has bounced back from the procedure to post a 3.83 ERA, 24.4 K%, and 7.0 BB%, and 49.1% groundball rate on the season.  However, Bender’s velocity has not returned, as he was at 98.1 prior to surgery and sits at 95.5 this year.  His usage suggests he’s mostly been outside Schumaker’s circle of trust this year, but in allowing one run over his last 14 appearances, that’s changing.  Bender is earning $770K this year as a Super Two player, and he’s under team control through 2027.

Cronin, 27 in September, was a February waiver claim from the Astros, who had claimed him from the White Sox.  The righty has worked to a solid 25 K%, 7.9 BB%, and 54.2% groundball rate this year, racking up 50 1/3 innings.  More than half of his appearances have been more than one inning, and he’s been going two-plus often of late.  He’s potentially under team control through 2029.

Earlier this month, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald named Scott, Calvin Faucher, and Cronin as potential Marlins bullpen trade candidates, and wouldn’t rule out Andrew Nardi.  It’s safe to assume Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix will be listening today on his entire bullpen, and there’s a good chance of more trades.  And while this post focused on some new relief names, Rosenthal reminds us that starting pitcher Trevor Rogers and left fielder Bryan De La Cruz are candidates to move as well.

Marlins Place Xavier Edwards On 60-Day Injured List

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The Marlins reinstated reliever Huascar Brazoban from the restricted list this evening. The Dominican-born righty was out of action for the first six weeks after visa issues delayed his arrival to Spring Training. Miami optioned him to Triple-A but needed to reinstall him onto the 40-man roster. To create space, the Fish moved infielder Xavier Edwards from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list. Miami also optioned Roddery Muñoz and recalled George Soriano before tonight’s game in Los Angeles.

Edwards, acquired from the Rays a couple years ago, has yet to make his season debut. He opened the season on the IL after battling a foot infection during Spring Training. According to the MLB.com injury tracker, Edwards has been gradually progressing through baseball activities at the team’s complex in Jupiter. There’s no indication of when he might go on a rehab assignment.

The 60-day minimum reverts to the date of the original IL placement, three days before Opening Day. Edwards won’t be eligible to return until the final week of May, although it doesn’t seem likely he’ll be ready by then anyhow. The 24-year-old appeared in 30 games for Miami as a rookie. He hit .295 but didn’t draw many walks or hit for any kind of power.

Edwards is coming off an excellent season in Triple-A, as he turned in a .351/.429/.457 batting line with nearly twice as many walks as strikeouts over 433 plate appearances. Once he’s healthy, he should have a decent path to regular playing time on a rebuilding team that just subtracted Luis Arraez from the infield.

Marlins Place Huascar Brazobán On Restricted List Due To Visa Issue

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The Marlins announced to members of their beat, including Craig Mish of The Miami Herald, that right-hander Huascar Brazobán has been placed on the restricted list. The righty has not been able to secure a visa to enter the United States and missed all of Spring Training. The club’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.

Brazobán, 34, has pitched 90 2/3 innings for the Marlins over the past two years with a 3.77 earned run average. He has a 26.4% strikeout rate in his career, 13.1% walk rate and 51.1% ground ball rate. He has earned 17 holds for the club in that time.

The visa issue is unfortunate for the righty, as he won’t accrue major league service time or pay for as long as he is on the restricted list. For the Marlins, it deprives them of one of their pitchers but it will give them an extra roster spot to use in the meantime.

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