The Mets announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of left-hander Danny Young. The club had space open on its 40-man roster, so no corresponding 40-man move was necessary. That being said, the team announced that lefty Josh Walker had been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to make room for Young on the active roster.
Young, 30 next month, was an eighth-round pick by the Blue Jays in the 2015 draft but did not make his big league debut until 2022 as a member of the Mariners. He made two appearances with Seattle that year but struggled to a 7.36 ERA with a 5.57 FIP in 3 2/3 frames before being designated for assignment by the club in August of that year. Young was promptly claimed off waivers by the Braves and posted 2 2/3 scoreless frames before once again being designated for assignment.
This time, Young passed through waivers successful and remained with the Braves organization until he was selected back to the roster the following April. The lefty made eight appearances for the Braves in 2023, pitching to a strong 1.08 ERA in 8 1/3 innings of work. Young struck out a strong 31.4% of batters faced and posted a solid 2.42 FIP with the club but nonetheless found himself released by the club following a season-ending injury, though the club promptly re-signed him to a minor league deal to allow him to rehab with the organization.
Young returned to free agency in November and found a minor league pact with the Mets shortly after the New Year. He’s once again impressed in six appearances at the Triple-A level for the club’s affiliate in Syracuse, posting a 1.13 ERA in eight innings while striking out a whopping 37.5% of batters faced. If Young is able to maintain the production he’s show in limited bursts since joining the Braves organization a year and a half ago, he’ll be a major asset to the Mets bullpen as a lefty option alongside Jake Diekman while veteran set-up man Brooks Raley is on the injured list.
Making space for Young on the club’s active roster is Walker, who made his big league debut with the Mets last year. The club’s 37th-round pick in the 2017 draft struggled to an 8.10 ERA in 10 innings of work last year but looked solid in his three appearances for the club in 2024, striking out three on one hit and one walk across three scoreless frames. Walker now figures to return to the Triple-A level for the time being, where he’ll likely act as a potential next man up for the club’s bullpen alongside the likes of Shintaro Fujinami and Cole Sulser.
More must-reads: