The New York Mets had a day off on Thursday but still made a roster move, acquiring Jose Castillo—someone they recently faced while playing the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Castillo comes to New York carrying an 11.37 ERA for the season, with the Mets contributing to that number by tagging him for three earned runs during their 7-1 win over Arizona on May 7.
Castillo didn’t exactly inspire confidence during that outing, issuing three walks in just 1.1 innings. A true journeyman, he arrives with little fanfare and likely a very short leash.
Newly acquired Mets player Jose Castillo doesn’t need to unpack his bags
Aside from being a lefty, there’s not much excitement surrounding Castillo. He’s out of minor league options, meaning he must remain on the 26-man roster or be designated for assignment again—something the Diamondbacks had already done. To avoid losing him to another team through waivers, the Mets sent cash to Arizona.
His addition required a corresponding roster move, with one more still needed to finalize the 26-man squad. The Mets designated Kevin Herget—a previous waiver claim from the offseason—for assignment.
Another roster spot must be cleared, and the likely outcome appears to be someone hitting the injured list rather than a demotion. Genesis Cabrera has pitched well enough to stay, and while Dedniel Nunez has had some bumps, he might be the only one who could reasonably be sent down. As for Castillo?
The timing of the deal—right before a series against the Yankees—made me wonder if it echoed last year. In 2024, the Yankees had trouble with left-handed starters and lost all four matchups against the Mets, each started by a southpaw. But that’s not the case this year—New York leads MLB with a .277 average against lefties in 2025.
A repeat of the Jake Diekman vs. Aaron Judge matchup from last year? Don’t bet on it.
Castillo has only pitched 8 major league games since 2018, when he logged his previous 37 appearances. He’ll need to be nearly flawless to stick around. The next move to clear a roster spot might be quite telling—especially considering Cabrera just threw two innings on Wednesday. Hopefully, that last outing didn’t push him a third of an inning too far.
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