Mets add Anderson Severino to 40-man roster, option him to Syracuse

Anderson Severino’s 1.04 ERA in Triple-A was loud enough to force the Mets’ hand. New York selected the left-hander’s contract on May 18 and optioned him right back to Syracuse the same day, a move that looks less like a reward than a roster safeguard for a pitcher who had become too useful to leave exposed.

That is the real story here: not just that Severino got a 40-man spot, but that he got one while staying in the same dugout in Syracuse. The Mets were juggling more than one bullpen issue at once, placing Clay Holmes on the 15-day injured list May 16 with a right fibula fracture before transferring him to the 60-day injured list, while also selecting Daniel Duarte and optioning Joey Gerber to Syracuse. In that context, Severino’s addition reads like part protection, part pressure valve, and part acknowledgement that his name is moving closer to the big-league conversation.

Severino, 31, has given Syracuse a steady left arm all season. In 13 Triple-A games, including one start, he went 2-0 with a 1.10 ERA, four saves, 16.1 innings and 18 strikeouts, while posting a 1.04 WHIP. MiLB lists his ERA at 1.04, and either number tells the same story: hitters have not been solving him. He has worked as both a one-inning weapon and a starter, and the results have been sharp enough to stand out in a league where bullpen arms turn over fast.

The Mets are clearly betting on the performance, but the timing matters just as much. Severino was listed as Syracuse’s No. 39, and the club’s decision to add him to the 40-man roster suggests it did not want to risk losing a left-hander with a live arm and a strong first half to a minor-league opt-out. That is how these transactions start to matter downstream. One roster move in May can alter the bullpen picture for weeks.

Severino was born Sept. 17, 1994, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and throws and bats left-handed at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds. He made his major league debut on April 14, 2022, and has a 6.14 ERA in six MLB games. Over his minor-league career, he has a 4.37 ERA in 177 games, including 20 starts, but this season in Syracuse has been his cleanest argument yet that he deserves to stay on the Mets’ radar.