Mets' Hansel Robles makes major league debut

During an otherwise disappointing game, the Mets did have at least one positive performance last night. Right-handed relief prospect Hansel Robles made his major league debut and contributed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Robles entered in the seventh inning with two on and none out to face Alex Rodriguez and allowed an infield single to load the bases. But he followed up the hit by recording three consecutive outs, including strikeouts of Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran, to keep the Yankees from adding to their lead.

Robles was off to a fast start with Triple-A Las Vegas before being called up to take the spot in the bullpen vacated by Jerry Blevins. Yet it has been a long journey for him to reach the major leagues. Robles was added to the 40-man roster earlier in his career, only to be later removed. He began 2014 as a starter in the Binghamton rotation, but poor performance prompted a move to the bullpen. He thrived in his new role, with an uptick in velocity and better results. This resulted in being re-added to the 40-man roster this past offseason. Given his current opportunity, he could stick in the Mets' bullpen for quite some time.