Whom might the Mets choose as September call-ups when MLB rosters expand?
DJ Stewart of the New York Mets at Citi Field last April. Credit: Jim McIsaac
PHOENIX — For the minor-league enthusiasts among us, Sept. 1 is always an exciting day.
Rosters expand, albeit not in the massive way they used to, and additional players get a crack at their major-league dream. Among these Mets, Francisco Alvarez and Mark Vientos debuted as September call-ups in the recent past.
Come Sunday, when active rosters expand from 26 to 28, the Mets will be allowed to add a position player and a pitcher (who subsequently can be swapped out for other players as needed or desired).
They have no obvious answers, so here is an overview of those whom the Mets should consider, including what roles those players could fill.
Position players
Brett Baty looked like a no-brainer, but he fractured his left index finger last week and will miss four to six weeks. Thus, the Mets will need to look elsewhere. Their choice may well depend on what they want out of that player.
OF/DH DJ Stewart
If the simplest answer is the right answer, Stewart could wind up back in the bigs.
The Mets don’t need outfield help, but Stewart could prove helpful as a pinch hitter/occasional starter. They also regard him as something of a pitch-tipping savant, able to detect some minor tell more quickly and better than others when the man on the mound is giving away what pitch is coming. In a playoff chase in which every detail counts, maybe that skill motivates the Mets.
Stewart, a surprise choice for the Opening Day roster, had a few big moments and walked a lot but ultimately didn’t produce much before getting demoted a month ago, bumped off the roster by Jesse Winker. He has been better since returning to Triple-A Syracuse with a .240 average and .861 OPS. But, well, that’s the minors.
INF/OF Luisangel Acuna
Mets second baseman Luisangel Acuna during a spring training game. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
After entering the season as one of the Mets’ top prospects, the 22-year-old hasn’t hit well with Syracuse, batting .257 with a .658 OPS.
So why would the Mets promote him now? He could be a pinch runner. He has swiped 32 bags this year, albeit in 45 tries, which is not a great success rate (71%). But nobody on the Mets’ bench is much of a stolen-base threat.
Other Acuna bits: Carlos Mendoza reported over the weekend that Acuna has had higher-quality at-bats lately, even if that hasn’t translated into results yet, and 2025 is shaping up as the last year he can be optioned to the minors. Sooner or later, the Mets might want to give him a look. Perhaps getting a taste of the majors, in a limited role with lots of observing, would spark something in Acuna and spur the next steps of his development.
INF Luke Ritter
He doesn’t get any prospect love, mostly because he’s 27, but Ritter has been Syracuse’s best hitter. His numbers: .259/.370/.501 plus 24 homers and 82 RBIs, with particular success against lefthanders.
His role would be . . . well, that’s a good question. But usually guys who perform like that at the highest level of the minors get a chance in the majors.
OF Jackie Bradley Jr.
Again, the Mets don’t need outfield help. But imagine how much fun a late-game outfield of Bradley, Harrison Bader and Tyrone Taylor would be.
Pitchers
The caveat here: With Paul Blackburn expected back after the first week of September, the Mets may well decide to keep Tylor Megill, his likely rotation replacement. Megill could stick around as a sixth starter or a long reliever.
Nonetheless, here are a few bullpen options:
LHP Alex Young
Alex Young of the New York Mets pitches against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field in July. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Mendoza tried to squeeze extra outs from Jose Quintana on Sunday because the Mets didn’t have a lefthanded reliever available. They didn’t have a lefthanded reliever available because their only southpaw, Danny Young, had been used a lot lately.
Whether they say it out loud in public or not, every manager would prefer to have two lefties. Alex Young could be that second lefty, as he was during parts of this month and last, when he allowed one run in seven innings (1.29 ERA). He deserves another shot.
RHP Tyler Zuber
The curiosity factor is high here because Zuber has not pitched in the majors since the Mets acquired him from the Rays at the trade deadline.
The hang-up: After he was great with the Rays’ Triple-A team, he has been less than great with Syracuse. In the small sample of six games, he had a 3.00 ERA, an .807 opponents’ OPS and a walk per inning (an ugly outing Sunday made those numbers worse). He remains an interesting arm anyway.
LHP Matt Gage
Gage joined the Mets in a minor trade with the Dodgers in early July. Since then, he has 10 scoreless appearances in 12 tries with Syracuse (with two messy ones mixed in). Like Alex Young, Gage would serve as that second lefthander.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
