The Tampa Bay Rays took a worthwhile risk in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft when they selected left-handed pitcher Nate Lavender away from the New York Mets.
A 14th-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, he had to undergo internal brace surgery in May 2024. The Rays knew that he wouldn’t be available in the early part of the 2025 campaign, but halfway through his rehab process, it made sense to take a chance on him.
There was hope that he would be available in the second half of the regular season and vie for a spot in the Major League bullpen. Unfortunately, that isn’t how things developed over the course of the campaign.
A setback of some sort must have occurred because Lavender didn’t make an appearance on the mound at any level in 2025. As a result of not being healthy and the injured list disappearing last week, the Rays decided to designate him for assignment.
Rays send Nate Lavender back to Mets
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Because of that, he has returned to the Mets, where he isn’t occupying a spot on the 40-man roster. It was a disappointing turn of events because he looked to have the tools necessary to succeed in the Big Leagues.
A product of Illinois, he was dominant in 2023 before suffering injuries. He had a 2.98 ERA and a nearly 37% strikeout rate when pitching at Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. There is a good chance that had he not gotten injured, New York wouldn’t have let him be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.
Now, the Mets have the luxury of seeing him work without the pressure of making a decision about his 40-man roster status. There is certainly a chance he receives a non-roster invite to spring training, where he can showcase his talent once again after missing so much time.
Given the strong production he had before the injury, even if Lavender begins the year in Triple-A, it may not take much for him to gain the attention of decision makers for a promotion to the Major Leagues.
Nate Lavender has real potential as Big League reliever
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In his professional career, the talented lefty has a 2.41 ERA across 115.2 innings with 174 strikeouts. Even though things didn’t work out with the Rays, where he could contribute on the mound, there was one positive for him.
Because he spent the entirety of the 2025 season on the injured list for the Big League team, he racked up a year of service time. That means one step closer to arbitration and eventually free agency, where the big money is to be made.
It also meant making the Major League minimum of $760,000. That is a lot of money for a player who had not previously been on a 40-man roster and received a $125,000 signing bonus in 2021.
Of course, Lavender would have preferred the opportunity to showcase his stuff for Tampa Bay at the Big League level, but registering a year of service time is a nice consolation.
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