The first round of cuts arrived this week in Mets camp, where 13 players — mostly young prospects — were sent to minor league spring training to begin preparing for life at an affiliate.
Dom Hamel was among those ticketed for elsewhere. And though he will be returning to Syracuse, he does so intent on getting out.
“I know what it feels like to be in Triple-A,” Hamel said, “and I don’t want to do that again.”
Hamel was a rising prospect last year whose climb was stalled. A couple of solid seasons brought him to the doorsteps of the majors, and he began 2024 as a depth option for when injuries struck in Queens. But when Mets starters went down, it was prospects such as Christian Scott, depth options like Joey Lucchesi, fliers like Julio Teheran and trade additions like Paul Blackburn who filled in. Hamel never got the call because he could not conquer the final minor league level.
