Nate Lavender’s Fireball Comeback | New York Mets News

0:00On September 7th, yo, let's talk about Nate Lavender. This 26 year old Metz Reliever dropped his debut on August 4th, and since then, he's been straight fire. In his first outing, he tossed one and a third scoreless innings, walked just one, and snagged his first career strikeout. He hasn't let up since, appearing in 12 games and pitching 12 and 2 thirds innings without giving up a single run. He's definitely making a statement out of that bullpen. So far this season, Lavender's stats are looking clean, 14 strikeouts, only 5 hits allowed, and 3 walks. The Metz organization must be feeling good about this pickup, especially considering how solid their bullpen has been. It wasn't an easy path to the majors for him though. He faced some serious hurdles on his way up through the minor leagues. The Metz originally snagged him in the 14th round back in 2021. He worked his way up through different teams, eventually landing in triple A Syracuse by the end of 2023. But then, a major setback hit in May of 2024, Tommy John's surgery, which wiped out the rest of his season.

1:04Things got even wilder when the Tampa Bay Rays picked him in the Rule 5 draft, ending his first in with the Metz. He spent 2025 recovering with the Rays, not pitching at all, and was eventually designated for assignment on November 6th. Just a few days later though, he was back with the Metz. After a strong showing in triple A earlier this year, the rest, as they say, is history. If Nate Lavender keeps this up, there should be no question about him securing a spot on the roster for 2027. Even with a small sample size, he's shown he can handle tough situations and get the job done. A reliable lefty in the bullpen is gold for any team, and he's proving he's got what it takes. This has been New York Metz News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story.