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The Mets have brought Tommy Hunter back into the fold on a minor league contract. The 34-year-old right-handed reliever spent spring training with the team, but he had an opt-out clause in his contract and was released last by the Mets week.
Presumably, Hunter did not find a major league gig in the interim, and given the state of the Mets’ bullpen as the 2021 season is set to begin, he might get a shot in the big leagues sometime in the near future. In five innings of work in spring training, Hunter had a 3.60 ERA with three strikeouts and four walks.
In the short 2020 season, Hunter pitched 24.2 innings for the Phillies with a 4.01 ERA and 3.31 FIP while dealing with diminishing velocity. Having pitched just 5.1 innings in 2019, his most recent season came in 2018, and he had a 3.80 ERA and 3.95 FIP in 64.0 innings that year.