Mets To Designate Xzavion Curry For Assignment

The Mets are designating right-hander Xzavion Curry for assignment. The team hasn’t formally announced the move, but it’s listed on their transaction log at MLB.com. New York also hasn’t announced yesterday’s reported claim of left-handed reliever Philip Abner from the Giants — also listed on their transaction log — so it seems safe to presume a formal announcement of that claim and Curry as the corresponding move is forthcoming.

Curry, 28, has appeared in nine games with the Mets this season. He’s pitched 21 1/3 innings and been dinged for a 5.48 ERA: 13 runs on 22 hits (seven homers) and nine walks with 15 punchouts. The former Guardians prospect signed a minor league deal back in May after opening the season with los Tigres de Quintana Roo in the Mexican League.

Prior to the 2026 campaign, Curry had pitched in parts of four MLB seasons — primarily with Cleveland but also briefly with Miami. He was a decent swingman with the Guardians in 2023-24, logging a combined 137 2/3 innings with a 4.25 ERA in 14 starts and 43 relief appearances. Overall, the right-hander has pitched 171 1/3 innings in the majors, during which he’s posted a 4.52 ERA with a tiny 15.6% strikeout rate and a solid 7.5% walk rate. Although Curry’s 10% homer-to-flyball rate is a couple percentage points shy of average, the sheer volume of fly-balls he gives up is so large (50.3% fly-ball rate, 28.7% ground-ball rate) that he’s still averaged an ugly 1.47 homers per nine innings in the big leagues.

Curry sat 92.5 mph on his four-seamer during his best season with Cleveland (2023) but is averaging just 90.8 mph on the pitch this year. He’s added a new splitter and sinker that he hasn’t used in the past, though the results obviously haven’t been favorable in the majors. Down in Triple-A, he’s notched a shiny 3.36 earned run average across 72 1/3 innings, although he’s shown the same problematic blend of low strikeouts (13.7%), good-but-not-elite command (6% walk rate) and tons of fly-balls (29% ground-ball rate, 42.9% fly-ball rate, 28.1% line-drive rate).

Since he’s been outrighted in the past, Curry will have the choice to reject a minor league assignment if he clears waivers. He’ll very likely be a minor league free agent in the offseason and will look to latch on as a depth option, whether back with the Mets or elsewhere.