Mets option Hayden Senger to Syracuse as Juan Soto returns to lineup

The Mets cleared a spot for Juan Soto by sending Hayden Senger back to Triple-A Syracuse, and the move landed especially hard for a catcher who never got into a game during his latest big-league call-up. Soto was back in the lineup against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field after missing 15 games with a right calf strain, and Senger was the odd man out in the shuffle.

Senger, 29, had been recalled from Syracuse on April 18 but never appeared for the Mets before Wednesday’s option. That is the business end of roster life for a third catcher: one day you are on the big-league bench, the next day you are back in the International League because a star hitter is ready to return. Senger’s path makes the volatility plain. He was drafted by the Mets in the 24th round in 2018 out of Miami University of Ohio, made his MLB debut on March 27, 2025, and entered this season as the kind of defense-first depth catcher clubs cycle through when the roster gets tight.

The Mets needed the space because Soto is too important to ease in any slower than necessary, even after a calf strain that cost him 15 games. Instead of dropping him straight back into the outfield, the club planned to use him as the designated hitter in his first game back and bat him second, a controlled step for a player who changes the order the moment he walks into it. With the Mets also trying to halt a 12-game losing streak, every roster move carried a little more weight than usual.

That is what makes Senger’s return to Syracuse feel less like a demotion than a reset. He had already shown the kind of power that can force a conversation at Triple-A, homering twice and driving in four runs in Syracuse’s 8-6 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on April 14 at NBT Bank Stadium. For Syracuse, that bat matters immediately. For the Mets, the depth chart behind Francisco Álvarez and Luis Torrens is still thin enough that one injury, one activation, or one star coming off the injured list can flip the entire catching picture in a single afternoon.

Senger’s brief stay in Queens ended the way these transactions often do, with no box score appearance attached and no time to settle in. For Syracuse, though, it may be a short-term gain, getting back a catcher who has recent major league exposure and enough offense to change a game the next night.