New York Mets Make Several Cuts Toward Opening Day Roster

With only a handful of spring training games remaining, the New York Mets Opening Day roster is starting to take shape.

The club made seven cuts on Tuesday, which were headlined by the decision to option outfielder MJ Melendez and right-handed pitcher Christian Scott to Triple-A Syracuse. Additionally, right-handers Adbert Alzolay, Nick Burdi, and Daniel Duarte were reassigned to minor league camp, as well as infielders Christian Arroyo and Jose Rojas.

We have made the following roster moves. pic.twitter.com/HBjMocb9v4
— New York Mets (@Mets) March 17, 2026

The Mets now have 46 players remaining in big league camp as they look to trim the roster down to 26. On Sunday, they moved 11 players to minor league camp including prospects A.J. Ewing, Ryan Clifford and Jacob Reimer, along with pitchers Ryan Lambert, Carl Edwards Jr. and Joe Jacques. New York has also already made the decision to option young pitching prospect Jonah Tong to Triple-A where he will begin the season.

Mets Make Several Roster Cuts

The decision to option Melendez stands out among Tuesday's moves because of what it could signal for their outfield plan, which has been the one true open competition throughout camp and has remained somewhat up in the air. The 27-year-old slugger signed a one-year, split contract with the Mets in February and emerged as a strong bench option, hitting .364 with two home runs and five RBI this spring.

Manager Carlos Mendoza spoke about the thought-process behind moving Melendez down to the minors, citing lack of at-bats in camp due to his stint with Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

"He's just got to get at-bats," the Mets' skipper said. "The one thing from MJ was, he went [to the WBC] but he didn't play much. So, we need him to get at-bats, and unfortunately, he was in the competition [for the outfield]. But we get to a point where a lot of guys are playing seven, eight innings, getting four at-bats, there's not going to be enough at-bats for him in camp to continue to be in the competition. So, he's got to go down to Triple-A now and put himself in a position where if there is a need here, his name is in the conversation."

"He's got to get at-bats...he went to [the WBC], but he didn't play much. Unfortunately, he was in the competition..."

Carlos Mendoza on the Mets sending MJ Melendez to Triple-A: pic.twitter.com/51Pl5wzfeQ
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 17, 2026

As Mendoza points out, Melendez was squarely in the competition for an outfield spot early in camp, but due to his absence for the WBC, he won't break with the Opening Day roster. That likely means it will come down to Mike Tauchman and youngster Carson Benge in right field with Tyrone Taylor and Brett Baty also factoring into the equation. Tauchman's contract features an opt-out on March 25th, which gives the Mets over a week to decide on his future with the team, but it is reasonable to assume both him and Benge could have a spot on the 26-man.

Scott, on the other hand, had a strong camp with the Mets and will look to use the early part of the season in Triple-A to continue to build momentum toward cracking the big-league rotation as soon as there is a need. The 27-year-old is now 16 months removed from Tommy John surgery and was stretched out to 56 pitches in a spring training outing last week. In his six innings across two games, Scott has eight strikeouts with a 4.50 ERA.

Mendoza spoke with Anthony DiComo of MLB.com about his excitement for Scott this season, calling his stuff "electric" and "special," while emphasizing that the most important thing is "keeping him healthy, because he’s going to be a big part of this team moving forward."

The Mets' rotation is currently crowded with experienced starters, but is far from a guarantee to remain intact. With Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea clear question marks in both health and consistency, the need for an arm like Scott could come sooner rather than later.

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