Mets Activate Justin Hagenman

The Mets reinstated right-hander Justin Hagenman from the 60-day IL ahead of Wednesday’s matchup against the Rays, per a team announcement. He’s expected to draw the start tonight. Hagenman fills the last remaining opening on New York’s 40-man roster. The club sent righty Dylan Ross back to Triple-A to open a spot on the big-league squad. Hagenman fractured a rib in the spring. The injury cost him more than four months. He began a rehab assignment midway through August. Hagenman made three starts as he ramped back up. He got up to 64 pitches over four innings with Triple-A Syracuse on Friday. He’s likely to be somewhat limited in tonight’s start. The Mets added Hagenman on a minor league deal heading into last season. He spent most of the year with Syracuse, where he compiled a 5.58 ERA as both a starter and a reliever. The righty made his MLB debut in April. He was up and down with the big-league club multiple times. Hagenman worked 23 2/3 innings over nine appearances, including one start. He earned his first MLB save in August, covering the final four innings of a blowout win over the Diamondbacks. Hagenman relied on a four-pitch mix with the Mets last season. He threw a cutter 32.9% of the time, followed by a four-seamer, changeup, and slider. Hagenman averaged 93 mph on his fastball. The cutter averaged just 86.7 mph, which is a pretty stark gap in velocity from the heater. The pitch is only slightly harder than his slider. Hagenman’s cutter has much less vertical drop than his slider, so they’re two distinct offerings, despite the similar speed. The 29-year-old Hagenman used the same repertoire during his recent outing with Syracuse, though his velocity was down. Hagenman sat at 90.5 mph with his four-seamer. The cutter was down at 83.4 mph, and the slider barely cracked 80 mph. Wednesday’s appearance seems to be a spot start for Hagenman. With no game tomorrow, Hagenman’s insertion into the rotation will afford the rest of the starters two extra days off. That should be particularly useful for Christian Scott. The young righty has already reached a career high in innings as a professional. He didn’t pitch at all last season while recovering from an elbow injury. Ross made his MLB debut last night. He fired a clean seventh inning against the Rays, retiring the side in order on 11 pitches. Ross’ sizzling fastball hit 99 mph multiple times. While Ross will head right back to Syracuse after getting recalled yesterday, at least he got to pitch this time. He joined the big-league club late last season but didn’t get into a game. The hard-throwing righty had his pro debut delayed by two years due to elbow issues. Ross has put up some massive strikeout numbers in the minors, while also racking up the walks. He’ll be a candidate to return to the Mets bullpen the next time they need a fresh arm. Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images View Comments (6)