It’s no secret that the Mets are in need of pitching depth, and they added a veteran arm to their minor league system by purchasing the contract of 33-year-old right-hander Vance Worley.
According to the Cougars, Worley has been assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.
Worley has pitched in 163 games at the big league level, making his debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010, while spending time with the Twins, Pirates, Orioles, and Marlins as well. He has not appeared in a big league game since the 2017 season, and was most recently playing for an independent team, the Kane County Cougars.
Worley has decent numbers overall, pitching to a 4.09 ERA and a 35-36 record. His best season was his first full season as a pro, when he finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting after going 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA with the Phillies in 2011.
The Mets seemingly dodged a bullet this week, as it appears Marcus Stroman will be fine following some hip soreness that caused him to leave his last start. But the Mets are still without Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco until at least after the All-Star break, and Joey Lucchesi has now been lost to Tommy John surgery as well. Not to mention, Jacob deGrom has had some bumps and bruises this season that have caused him to miss some time and leave a couple of starts early.
At this point, Worley is purely a veteran insurance option for the Mets, but he certainly could factor into the team’s pitching plans in the future, either as a starter or out of the bullpen.