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Jorge Castillo
Multiple Authors
NEW YORK — The Mets called up nine-time All-Star reliever Craig Kimbrel on Saturday and designated left-hander Richard Lovelady for assignment to make room on the 26-man roster.
Kimbrel, 37, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in January that guaranteed him $2.5 million for the season once he was added to the active roster. He chose to remain with the organization after not making the Mets’ Opening Day roster, though he had a rolling opt-out that allowed him to sign with another club if presented with an opportunity in the majors, according to a source.
“I think towards the end of camp I was feeling pretty good,” Kimbrel said. “It just might have been a little too late. In the last two weeks, I’ve just been focusing on maybe putting on a little bit more weight. I’ve been in the weight room quite a bit and just continue working on the pitches I’ve been working on, and I’ve been pretty happy with how they’ve progressed. The velocity has been pretty good and consistent. The body feels good.”
Kimbrel stayed in Port St. Lucie when the Mets broke camp for the regular season. He appeared in one game for Low-A St. Lucie, tossing a perfect inning with one strikeout. He threw nine pitches and touched 94.2 mph. The Mets are his 10th team in 17 major league seasons.
“The fact that he decided to stay back, continue to work, continue to get stronger, and waited for his opportunity, he didn’t have to do that,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “This is a guy who is well on his way to a Hall of Fame career, and he did that. And here he is getting an opportunity. I feel like he still has a lot to offer and [can] help us in a lot of different ways and just excited to have him.”
Kimbel is fifth all time with 440 career saves, but he will assume a different role with Devin Williams entrenched as the Mets’ closer. Kimbrel hasn’t been a full-time closer since his disastrous season with the Baltimore Orioles in 2024, when he posted a 5.33 ERA in 57 games before he was designated for assignment in September.
He threw a scoreless inning for the Atlanta Braves, his original organization, in June last season before being designated for assignment. He then signed with the Houston Astros and was called up in late August, tallying a 2.45 ERA over 11 innings through the end of the season.
“If the game calls for a high-leverage, I’m not going to hesitate,” Mendoza said. “This guy is well on his way to being a Hall of Famer here. It’s not like a guy that’s coming up to the big leagues for the first time. He’s been in those roles for a long time and had a pretty successful career. Depending on who’s available, where the game is at, I won’t hesitate.”
On the starting rotation front, Mendoza said Clay Holmes was “feeling better” Saturday after exiting his start Friday with left hamstring tightness and is trending toward making his next start.
“Normal soreness after an outing,” Mendoza said. “Went through a series of tests, strength wise, in the training room and checked all the boxes. I think the next step is making sure that he throws his bullpen a couple of days from now before we make a final call.”
If Holmes does not make his next start, which would likely mean a stint on the injured list, Sean Manaea is the leading candidate to replace him in the rotation. Manaea has begun the season in the Mets’ bullpen, but he has remained stretched out by throwing 74 and 70 pitches in his last two outings.
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