Nate Lavender Debuts for Mets With Scoreless, High-Leverage Outing

Overview

• Lavender, who was called up Tuesday, threw 1.1 scoreless innings in his major-league debut, recording one strikeout and one walk and striking out Travis Bazzana to escape a two-on, two-out jam.
• The 26-year-old left-hander spent 2024–25 largely sidelined after an internal brace procedure on his elbow and subsequent bone‑spur surgery, a rehab path that kept him off the mound for more than a year.
• He rose through five seasons in the Mets system after being a 14th-round pick in 2021 and posted a 3.27 ERA in 25 Triple‑A appearances this year, numbers that pushed him into consideration for a big‑league role.
• New York's trade‑deadline departures of several high-leverage relievers opened immediate bullpen spots, and manager Andy Green said Lavender’s poise and energetic outing could act as a catalyst for the club’s new-look relief corps.
• Lavender’s debut matters for his personal future and the team’s short-term plans because he gives the Mets a lefty option to test in high-leverage innings and the club will soon decide whether he can stick as a regular late-inning arm.