ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Mets’ September roster moves came into focus Monday, and the club is leaning on a fresh arm from Triple-A while leaving its top pitching prospect in Syracuse for now.
Outfielder Nick Morabito and right-hander Justin Hagenman will join the active roster on Tuesday, Mets interim manager Andy Green said before the series opener against the Rays. Hagenman is lined up to start Wednesday at Tropicana Field, which buys Christian Scott an extra day before his next turn.
That same approach is expected to stretch across the rest of the young rotation. Green said the Mets want Nolan McLean, Zac Thornton and Scott to work on five days’ rest in September instead of four, a deliberate slowdown as the organization manages workloads in the season’s final month.
Scott, who is finishing his first year back from Tommy John surgery, has already thrown a career-high 94 2/3 innings. Green said the club is taking the long view with its young starters.
“In all of their cases,” Green said, “they’ve pitched more than they have in their career. Zac’s case, in particular, he missed the second half of last season with an oblique injury. And Nolan is well into uncharted territories as well.”
For Hagenman, the assignment could be brief. The Mets are only committing to one start for now, though that could change depending on how things unfold.
It will be his first appearance with New York this season and just his fourth game action overall in 2025. Hagenman missed time after fracturing a rib in spring training and only recently got back on the mound, pitching for three different affiliates this month.
The right-hander also spent time with the Mets last year, making nine appearances and posting a 4.56 ERA over 23 2/3 innings.
The decision to go with Hagenman over Jonah Tong stands out. Tong has had a roller-coaster season, but he’s been sharp lately for Syracuse.
In his last start, he was one out from a seven-inning no-hitter before settling for a game-shortened shutout and one-hitter with eight strikeouts. Over his last eight outings since July 18, Tong has a 2.20 ERA, and over his last four starts that number drops to 0.84.
Tong still could be in line for a call-up later in the month. It just won’t be on Sept. 1.
Morabito is back for a second look after a short stint with the big club earlier this summer. He went hitless in 11 at-bats across five games in May, but Green said the outfielder will get “ample opportunity to show what he has” this time around.
Luis Robert Jr.’s departure on waivers - he was claimed by the Orioles on Monday - helps clear the path for Morabito’s role. New York also activated Mark Vientos from the injured list Monday after he had been out since early July with a right hand fracture.
Vientos finished hot in Syracuse, homering five times over his last four games, including three homers in one game on Sunday.
Morabito’s playing time will hinge in part on Juan Soto’s usage in the outfield, as long as Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing keep playing every day and staying healthy.
When Soto is at designated hitter or resting, like he was Monday in St. Petersburg, the Mets can run Benge, Ewing and Morabito across the outfield together.
And Morabito gives Green another tool off the bench, thanks to his speed.
“He needs to be himself,” Green said. “He’s an incredible athlete.
Runs as well as AJ does. Can track balls down in the outfield incredibly well.
And then at-bats for me, he’s always just been a fierce competitor so he just needs to get in and ground out his at-bats. When he does that, he ends up with really respectable results.”
In Other News...
Mets Just Saw Their Luis Robert Decision Take An Awkward Turn
The Mets decision to place Luis Robert Jr. on waivers was always going to invite some attention, but the outcome turned quickly once Baltimore stepped in and claimed him. New York moved him because of the salary still attached, a cost-saving move that made sense on paper, while the Orioles, hanging around the Wild Card race, saw enough value to take the shot. It is the kind of roster shuffle that can make a front office look pragmatic one day and a little exposed the next.
For the Mets, the awkward part is less about the mechanics than the optics. Robert is gone before the waiver process could even settle into a quiet footnote, and the Orioles recent trade deadline activity made it clear they were still willing to keep adjusting their outfield mix. In a stretch where every roster move gets read through the lens of timing and intent, this one leaves New York with an uncomfortable reminder that saving money and losing a player can be two very different kinds of business. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Give An Outfield Prospect Another Chance To Claim A Bigger Role
The Mets latest roster move brought Nick Morabito back into the picture, giving the outfield prospect another shot to carve out a larger role after a brief major league stint earlier this season. Morabito has kept his name in the conversation by performing well at Triple-A, and the organizations belief in him has been clear for a while after he was named the Mets Minor League Player of the Year in 2024.
His return comes in the wake of Luis Robert Jr. being released by New York and then claimed on waivers by the Baltimore Orioles, opening a spot for the Mets to take another look at a player they view as part of the future. For Morabito, the opportunity is simple enough in theory and difficult in practice: keep producing enough to make the Mets think twice before sending him back down again. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Gamble On Luis Robert Jr. Now Looks Much Harder To Defend
The Mets took a swing on Luis Robert Jr. with the expectation that he would be a meaningful part of their lineup, and for a brief stretch it looked like they might have found a difference-maker. Instead, the early burst faded, injuries followed and the move quickly became harder to justify as the production never matched the price or the projection that came with him.
By the time the Mets put Robert on waivers to cut costs, the transaction had already turned into one of those deals that invites an uncomfortable second look. The bigger issue now is not just what Robert did or did not provide, but what the club gave up to get him in the first place, especially with other internal and external options available to fill the same role. [Read more 🡒]