NEW YORK -- Left-hander Brooks Raley, a cog of the Mets’ 2023 bullpen who underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery last May, is back in the organization with a chance to help later this season.
The Mets on Tuesday announced the signing of Raley, 36, to a one-year contract with a club option for 2026. They immediately placed him on the 15-day injured list, where he’ll stay until his Tommy John rehab is complete.
Now roughly 11 months removed from surgery, Raley has been throwing regular bullpen sessions. He’ll continue that progression in Florida and will begin facing live hitters in the “next couple weeks,” according to manager Carlos Mendoza. That puts Raley on track for a return potentially well before the end of the season.
While the timeline for pitchers to return from Tommy John surgery is generally between 12-18 months, relievers can often come back quicker than starters given their lesser workloads.
Before injuring his elbow last May, Raley was the Mets’ top left-handed reliever, with a 2.48 ERA in 74 appearances with the team. The Mets acquired Raley in a December 2022 trade with the Rays for pitching prospect Keyshawn Askew.
Although Raley didn’t blossom as a big league reliever until well into his 30s, he rapidly became one of the game’s better specialists, holding left-handed hitters to a .610 OPS from 2022-24.
This spring, the Mets signed longtime reliever Drew Smith to a similar contract. But Smith, a right-hander, underwent Tommy John surgery about seven weeks after Raley and is less likely to return this year as a result.
To clear a 40-man roster space for Raley, the Mets designated right-handed pitcher José Ureña for assignment. The team also recalled righty reliever Kevin Herget from Triple-A Syracuse and transferred starter Sean Manaea to the 60-day injured list. The latter move does not affect the timeline of Manaea, who won’t return until at least June due to a right oblique strain.