The Mets have several big-league roster spots to fill after a massive sell-off ahead of yesterday’s trade deadline. Just on Monday, the club had five big leaguers head to other teams. That included relievers Luke Weaver, Huascar Brazoban, and Brooks Raley. Add in the A.J. Minter deal from the weekend, and New York will need to replace half the bullpen.
One arm getting a chance in the big-league ‘pen is left-hander Jefry Yan. The reliever will be promoted before Tuesday’s matchup against the Guardians, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. Yan had his contract selected back in early July, but wasn’t called up to the majors at the time.
The 29-year-old Yan has taken a winding path to the big leagues. He originally signed with the Angels out of the Dominican Republic in 2014. The lefty pitched in the organization for two seasons, then had Tommy John surgery in 2016. He wouldn’t pitch in affiliated ball again until 2021. Yan spent a few years in the Marlins system, but topped out at Triple-A. He took his talents to Japan in 2024, before heading back to the States with the Rockies’ Triple-A squad in 2025.
The Mets added Yan on a minor league deal. He’s put together a solid 3.24 ERA across 35 appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. The reliever has an absurd 43.5% strikeout rate across 41 2/3 frames. The punchouts have come with a hefty 15.8% walk rate. Like many intriguing minor league arms, Yan has routinely run high strikeout rates with big walk totals. He’s been on another level with the swing-and-miss this season, though. Yan has a massive 18.6% swinging-strike rate, which would rank among the best relievers in the big leagues.
Yan has utilized a four-pitch mix in 14 games with Syracuse. He’s led with a sinker and slider, which he’s thrown at nearly identical rates, followed by a four-seamer and changeup. Both of Yan’s fastballs sit in the upper-90s. His slider has averaged 86.1 mph this year. The changeup has sat at 88.8 mph, though Yan has only thrown it 8.3% of the time. It remains to be seen if he can throw enough strikes to survive in the majors, but the stuff could play at the highest level.
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
