Mets claim Seth Elledge off waivers from Braves

Before the second game of their series against the Padres, the Mets claimed 26-year-old right-handed reliever Seth Elledge off waivers from the rival Braves. To make room for him on their 40-man roster, the team transferred Jose Quintana to the 60-day injured list, which isn’t surprising given the long-term nature of the veteran’s recovery.

As for Elledge, he was drafted in the fourth round back in 2017 by the Mariners. The following summer, Seattle traded him to the Cardinals in exchange for Sam Tuivailala at the trade deadline. Elledge stayed in that organization through the 2022 season, getting 11.2 innings at the major league level in each of 2020 and 2021, before St. Louis released him.

The Braves picked him up once he was a free agent, but they had him pitch exclusively in Triple-A last year. He threw 46.1 innings at that level with 12.88 strikeouts and 3.11 walks per nine innings and a 3.88 ERA, and Atlanta had him start the year in Triple-A this season, too. He’s thrown just three innings thus far but hasn’t allowed a run yet.

In total, Elledge owns a 4.63 ERA and a 4.90 FIP in his brief time in the big leagues, but given the Mets’ list of bullpen injuries, picking up a pitcher like this for free makes plenty of sense.