The New York Mets added a young left-handed arm to the organization Wednesday, claiming 24-year-old pitcher Philip Abner off waivers from the San Francisco Giants while the club was in Texas for a series against the Rangers, via the MLB transaction log.
The move came before the second game of that set at Globe Life Field, after New York had taken the opener 6-3 on Tuesday night.
Abner had been designated for assignment by the Giants following their weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
For a Mets team sitting last in the National League East at 72-85, the addition is a low-cost look at a pitcher who still has minor-league pedigree even as his big-league numbers have been uneven.
Arizona selected Abner in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, 175th overall, out of the University of Florida. He reached the majors with the Diamondbacks last season and appeared in five games, posting a 4.91 ERA across 3 2/3 innings.
This year, he stayed with Arizona through mid-August, working 14 1/3 innings over eight appearances with a 6.28 ERA before the club designated him for assignment. San Francisco claimed him a few days later.
His time with the Giants was brief and difficult. In five outings totaling 4 2/3 innings he allowed a 9.64 ERA and was soon designated again, opening the door for New York. Those major-league lines do not tell the whole story.
Across 137 minor-league innings, Abner has a 3.28 ERA and 157 strikeouts. This season he logged 37 2/3 innings in the minors with a 4.54 ERA, numbers that help explain why clubs keep giving him another chance.
The Mets still have work to finish the 2026 schedule. They close the Rangers series on Thursday afternoon and then travel to Washington for a three-game set against the Nationals.
Claiming a 24-year-old left-hander off waivers will not change the standings, but it gives the front office another arm to evaluate in September and a potential depth piece for the organization heading into the offseason.
Whether Abner sticks on the roster or is optioned will depend on how he looks once he reports and on what New York needs in the final week of the year.
Waiver claims like this are common late in the season, especially for clubs already out of contention that want to add young talent without giving up prospects.
Abner’s path from Florida to Arizona to San Francisco and now New York is a reminder of how quickly opportunities can open and close in the majors.
For the Mets, it is a modest but concrete move on a midweek afternoon in Arlington.
