Brandon

Waddell

Mauricio had hit .313/.389/.531 in Spring Training, but it wasn’t quite enough to hold on to him in a utility role. He’ll start at Syracuse and look to get back to the bigs in the near-term future. Mauricio hit .323/.384/.508 in 73 minor league plate appearances last year, including .515/.564/.818 in Syracuse for 39 plate appearances.

Waddell, 31, was designated for assignment Wednesday and went unclaimed. The 31-year-old can elect free agency or report back to Syracuse as a depth piece.

Waddell had a 3.45 ERA in 31 1/3 innings for the Mets last season, but he still finished the year in the minors after being sent down on Sept. 2. That he’s out of options will decrease the chances of him being claimed on waivers, but someone still might want to grab him.

Waddell’s latest stint with the Mets lasted roughly 48 hours during which he tossed 4 1/3 scoreless frames in relief against the division-rival Marlins on Sunday afternoon. The 31-year-old should be back at some point later this month as New York continues to re-shuffle its relief corps.

Waddell provides New York’s overworked bullpen with some additional long relief depth heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Marlins. The well-traveled 31-year-old southpaw holds a serviceable 4.00 ERA across 27 innings (10 appearances, one start) this season in his first big-league action since the 2021 season.

The Mets tried to option Waddell to Triple-A Syracuse after the All-Star break, but the optione was rescinded and he was instead placed on the injured list with a right hip impingement. Now that he’s fully recovered, he has been activated and subsequently optioned. He’ll continue to function as excess bullpen depth for the Mets at the Triple-A level.

Waddell was sent down on Saturday, but since he was hurting when it happened, he’ll resume collecting a major league salary and service time until he’s healthy. The 31-year-old Waddell has a 4.00 ERA over 27 innings for the Mets this season.

Waddell heads back to the minors after throwing 76 pitches over 3 2/3 innings in relief during Friday’s second-half opener against the Reds. The 31-year-old lefty has posted a solid 4.00 ERA across 27 innings over a career-high 10 appearances this season for the Mets.

The 31-year-old southpaw allowed four hits on the afternoon while walking one and striking out a pair. All of the damage done against him came in the second inning as Alex Jackson smacked an RBI double and rode home on Jordan Westburg’s two-run blast. Waddell got 10 swings and misses on 57 pitches on the day, registering a CSW of 30 percent. Since he’s unlikely to be available the rest of the weekend, it wouldn’t be surprised to see him swapped out for a fresh arm on Friday.

Waddell is up to give the Mets a fresh arm in the bullpen. He’ll replace Dicky Lovelady on the active roster and work as a southpaw option in the middle innings.