Dom Hamel DFA’d Again: A Once-Promising Arm Now Facing a Steep Climb Back
Dom Hamel’s name popped up on the transaction wire again Tuesday, and for the third time in just a few months, it wasn’t with good news. The Texas Rangers designated the right-hander for assignment, ending what turned out to be a brief and uneventful stint in Arlington. Once a fast-rising prospect in the Mets’ system, Hamel’s journey through professional baseball has taken another tough turn.
This latest move by Texas came on the heels of the club finalizing a one-year deal with veteran reliever Jakob Junis, a signing aimed at bolstering the bullpen for the upcoming season. Unfortunately for Hamel, that meant he was the odd man out - a casualty of the roster crunch that often hits fringe arms the hardest. He didn’t get a chance to make an impression in a Rangers uniform before being moved off the 40-man.
It’s a tough break, but not an unfamiliar one for Hamel lately.
A Quick Rise Through the Mets System
Hamel entered pro ball with some buzz after the Mets took him in the third round of the 2021 draft. And early on, he delivered.
In 2022, he led the entire Mets farm system with 145 strikeouts. He followed that up with 160 punchouts in 2023 while pitching for Double-A Binghamton, showing off a fastball-curve combo that had scouts intrigued and Mets fans hopeful.
That kind of swing-and-miss stuff earned him a spot as the No. 9 prospect in the organization - and with it, the expectation that he might be a legitimate big-league contributor in the near future.
But like so many young pitchers, the jump to Triple-A proved to be a wall he couldn’t quite scale.
The Triple-A Struggles
In 2024, Hamel logged 124.2 innings at the Triple-A level and was roughed up to the tune of a 6.79 ERA. The command issues were glaring - 77 walks in that span - and hitters at the highest minor league level didn’t chase like they did in Double-A. The control that had always been a bit of a red flag became a full-blown problem.
The Mets tried to find a role that might spark something in 2025, using Hamel in a hybrid setup - part starter, part reliever. But the results stayed middling.
Over 67.2 innings that season, he posted a 5.32 ERA. The flashes of potential were still there, but consistency was nowhere to be found.
A Brief Taste of the Bigs
Hamel finally got the call to the majors on September 17, but the debut didn’t go as scripted. He lasted just one inning, giving up three hits and hitting a batter. The very next day, he was designated for assignment.
That set off a whirlwind stretch. Baltimore claimed him off waivers, only to DFA him five days later. Texas scooped him up on September 27, but now, less than four months later, they’ve made the same decision.
Where Does He Go From Here?
For a pitcher who not long ago was one of the Mets’ top 10 prospects, it’s been a harsh reminder of how quickly a promising trajectory can stall. Hamel has now been DFA’d three times since September, and while he’s still just a few years removed from dominating the Double-A circuit, the reality is clear: he’s fighting for a foothold in a league that doesn’t wait around.
There’s still talent in Hamel’s arm - the strikeout numbers in the minors weren’t a fluke. But he’ll need to tighten up the command, find consistency in his mechanics, and likely embrace a bullpen role if he wants another shot at sticking in the big leagues.
Baseball careers don’t always follow a straight line. For Dom Hamel, the road’s gotten bumpy, but at 25, he’s still got time to rewrite the narrative. The question now is which team will give him the next chance - and whether he can make the most of it.