Justin Hagenman Returns from Injury
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Justin Hagenman has had quite an eventful spring, but not in the way he hoped. He was sidelined with a rather unusual rib injury that prevented him from throwing.
During spring training, he was diagnosed with a rib fracture, which forced him to take a break from throwing for ten weeks.
“It was just a unique injury,” Hagenman mentioned Tuesday at Tropicana Field before the Mets lost to the Rays 6-2. “You really just have to allow the bone to heal. It took a long time, and I think it’s probably the longest I’ve gone without throwing.”
He is set to join the Mets rotation on Wednesday, giving Christian Scott some extra rest. This could be an opportunity for Hagenman to demonstrate his potential as part of the pitching depth for the upcoming season.
Last year, he showed promise with a 4.56 ERA across nine outings, primarily serving in a bulk relief role. Interestingly, he was offered a major league contract prior to last season, despite never having pitched above Triple-A.
This season, in just three appearances for Syracuse, the 29-year-old has achieved a 2.89 ERA.
“He throws strikes — that’s what he brings to the team,” interim manager Andy Green remarked. “He’s consistently done that throughout his career.”
Dylan Ross, a right-handed reliever, has been recalled from Syracuse as well.
The Mets, who didn’t need to make any roster adjustments with the expansion on September 1, will have to let go of a pitcher when Hagenman is officially added to the roster.
Green pointed out Ross’s fastball, which has been clocked near 100 mph, and a splitter he throws that looks promising.
“We’ve thought for some time that he could make an impact at this level, and we’ll see how things unfold for him now,” Green noted.
Kodai Senga has secured five saves in five attempts since stepping into the closer’s role with Devin Williams out.
Senga has made 11 appearances since the trade deadline, boasting a 1.74 ERA along with 12 strikeouts over 10 ¹/₃ innings during that time.
