Sometimes, a decision in baseball feels like watching your favorite magician pack up and leave mid-performance—just when things were getting good.
That’s what Sunday felt like for New York Mets fans, as the team made a quiet but puzzling bullpen move amid their struggles against the Tampa Bay Rays.
After throwing 3.2 scoreless innings since joining the team, right-hander Justin Garza was surprisingly optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.
The Mets have optioned RHP Justin Garza to Triple-A Syracuse and called up RHP Ty Adcock https://t.co/OTTPcYiXji pic.twitter.com/m4wrQmsVzy
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 15, 2025
The announcement came just hours before the series finale at Tropicana Field, a game the Mets desperately need to win to avoid a sweep.
Garza’s brief tenure in Queens didn’t exactly make headlines, but it should have turned heads. He was efficient, clean, and steady.
Over three games, Garza allowed just four hits, struck out two, and didn’t walk a single batter. His 0.00 ERA was a quiet reminder that sometimes the most dependable arms aren’t the flashiest ones.
Fresh arms for a tired bullpen
The decision to demote Garza isn’t a condemnation of his performance—it’s more likely a nod to practicality.
The Mets’ bullpen could use some fresh faces, and manager Carlos Mendoza simply needs arms to navigate the final game against Tampa Bay.
Enter Ty Adcock, who returns to the majors for his second stint with the Mets this season.
His last outing was a blink-and-you-missed-it appearance: he recorded one out, walked one batter, and gave up a hit but escaped without allowing a run.
At Triple-A Syracuse, Adcock has logged 22 innings with a 4.50 ERA. While that might not seem like elite production, it’s important to remember the context—Triple-A environments often favor hitters.
In that light, his numbers are serviceable, if not impressive.
Garza makes a case for long-term value
The Mets only just acquired Garza from the Giants in a low-profile move earlier this month. It looked like a depth play at the time, but the 31-year-old has shown he might be more than that.
His poise suggests he could eventually carve out a more permanent role in the Mets’ bullpen rotation.
Finding players like Garza who can offer value without breaking the bank is invaluable. He might not be the guy you call to close the ninth, but he’s definitely valuable depth.
Short-term moves with long-term implications
Roster decisions like this one might fly under the radar, but they add up quickly over the course of a 162-game season.
Every demotion, promotion, or shuffle can create ripples that affect team chemistry, bullpen fatigue, and even a young player’s confidence.
It’s fair to question why the Mets would remove someone who hasn’t allowed a run. But it’s also fair to say the door is far from closed on Justin Garza.
If anything, the past week has only strengthened his case as a reliable big-league option.
Adcock now gets another chance to prove he belongs, and in the meantime, Garza will wait—perhaps not long—before he’s back in a Mets uniform, toeing the rubber under the lights.
Baseball may be a game of numbers, but moments like these remind us it’s also a game of timing.
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