Reliever Justin Hagenman was placed on the 60-day injured list after suffering a rib fracture, indicating that the New York Mets’ injury problem has returned. In response, the Mets acquired Richard Lovelady again off waivers from the Washington Nationals.
Hagenman’s rib pain was the first sign of his injury problems. This happened following his most recent game on March 5th against the Nationals. After the injury appeared to get worse, he eventually had imaging. His rib fracture was confirmed by the imaging, and he will now be out until late May. However, manager Carlos Mendoza claims that there is no schedule for his comeback, so he might be sidelined longer than anticipated. For the Mets’ pitching staff, it is the most recent development in a spring full of stories.
Rough Start to Spring
Hagenman struggled to start the spring before the injury. With an ERA of 5.40 in 8 1/3 innings pitched, he made three appearances, starting two of them. He made nine appearances with the Mets in 2025, including one start, and finished with a 4.53 ERA in 23 2/3 innings pitched. Given his remaining minor league options and his sluggish spring training start, Hagenman most certainly would have begun this season in Triple-A.
Unfortunately, there is no set timeframe for his injury return, therefore it is unclear where he will pitch during the season. It seems that what would have been his debut major league season will be considerably constrained.
Richard Lovelady Comes Back to the Mets
Lovelady has returned to the Mets for a second stint. Last season, New York signed him to a one-year contract, but things did not go as expected. Lovelady played eight games with the Mets in the previous campaign. His ERA was 6.30 after 10 innings of pitching. In his little sample size with the Mets, he was dreadful. Last season, Lovelady was DFA’d three times in total. He would ultimately return to the Mets this season after they re-signed him to a one-year contract, only to be DFA’d once more following Vidal Brujan’s acquisition.
After being claimed by the Nationals, Lovelady pitched four innings for them during spring training with a 2.25 ERA. They would DFA him on March 10th despite his strong performance. Because of Hagenman’s injury, the Mets would later claim Lovelady back off waivers. But whether Lovelady will even pitch for the Mets this season is still up in the air. There might not be a need for another lefty reliever in the Mets bullpen now that A.J. Minter is recovering from injury and Brooks Raley is back.
Will Lovelady Actually Pitch This Season?
Whether Lovelady will contribute to the Mets or even play at all is still up in the air. He might be able to maintain his position on the squad if he manages to get past all of the returns and transactions. When the season begins, it will be interesting to watch how the Mets handle Lovelady.
