Mets Rule 5 pick Kyle Dowdy claimed on waivers by Rangers

Kyle Dowdy, the 26-year-old right-handed pitcher the Mets took in the Rule 5 draft early in the offseason, has been claimed on waivers by the Texas Rangers. Dowdy pitched 11.1 innings for the Mets in spring training this year and had a 5.56 ERA with seven strikeouts and seven walks in his time in the Grapefruit League.

Heading into the season, Dowdy figured to have a shot at making the Opening Day roster since the Mets would have needed to keep him in the big leagues all year in order to control him beyond the 2019 season. A starter for almost all of his minor league career, Dowdy had a 5.15 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A last year in the Tigers organization.

With Dowdy out of the mix for the final spot in the Mets’ bullpen, it’s all but official that the spot will go to Tim Peterson, who had a 4.35 ERA with nine strikeouts and three walks in 10.1 innings of Grapefruit League play. The 28-year-old was drafted by the Mets in the 20th round of the amateur draft back in 2012. He threw 38.2 innings with a 3.49 ERA for Las Vegas last year but had a 6.18 ERA in 27.2 innings with the Mets.