Craig Kimbrel Called to New York Mets Saturday

Written By Justin Carlucci | Published at April 11, 2026

Aug 29, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) in the dugout after being pulled against the Los Angeles Angels in the eighth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

It's all hands on deck for the New York Mets' bullpen. MLB insider Jon Heyman broke the news Saturday morning that Craig Kimbrel has been called up to pitch for the Mets. Kimbrel signed a minor league deal with an invite to spring training back in January for $2.5 million, and now he's getting the call.

Craig Kimbrel Gets MLB Call With New York Mets

Kimbrel is essentially an unofficial future Hall of Famer. He has 440 career saves, which ranks fifth all-time. So why was he on a minor league deal in the first place? Well, Father Time catches up with everybody.

He had a couple of rocky seasons — most notably in 2024, when he appeared in 57 games for the Baltimore Orioles and posted a 5.33 ERA with six blown saves. However, Kimbrel bounced back in a very limited sample size at the MLB level in 2025, pitching 12 innings for Houston with a sparkling 2.25 ERA.

According to Baseball Reference, the 37-year-old has thrown just one inning for St. Lucie, the Mets' affiliate, this season. He hasn't appeared in a Major League game yet in 2026, but that could change quickly.

Kimbrel has logged 821.2 innings pitched at the Major League level and has racked up 1282 strikeouts across his career.

The Mets will host the Athletics today in Queens at 4:10 PM Eastern at Citi Field. Perhaps Kimbrel makes his Mets debut Saturday afternoon. New York's bullpen has been stretched thin early in the season, and adding a veteran arm with 440 saves to his name — even at this stage of his career — gives the Mets another option in high-leverage spots down the stretch.