Mets Claim Philip Abner

The Mets have claimed left-hander Philip Abner off waivers from the Giants, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The southpaw was designated for assignment earlier this week. The Mets have a full 40-man roster and will need to open a spot but that could be as easy as transferring someone to the 60-day injured list.

Abner, 24, has a small and unimpressive big league track record thus far. Between the Diamondbacks and Giants, he has thrown 22 2/3 innings, allowing 6.75 earned runs per nine. His 14.4% strikeout rate and 13.5% walk rate are both worse than league average.

Presumably, the Mets are more interested in his minor league work. Dating back to the start of 2024, he has thrown 130 1/3 innings on the farm with a 3.18 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate. This year’s 4.54 ERA in Triple-A looks bad but that came in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His 26.1% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate at that level this year are solid numbers. A .330 batting average on balls in play and 58.5% strand rate pushed some extra runs across the plate. His 3.16 FIP paints a more optimistic portrait.

Abner doesn’t have overpowering stuff, as his four-seamer has averaged just 90.5 miles per hour thus far in his career. But he has a diverse arsenal, also throwing a sinker, slider, curveball and changeup.

For the Mets, they have very little set in stone for next year’s bullpen, as they traded away a number of veterans at this year’s deadline. Abner isn’t yet established in the big leagues but he has good numbers in the minors and has a couple of options remaining. He could be an up-and-down arm for the Mets next year, if he holds onto his roster spot throughout the offseason.