The New York Mets have made a quiet roster move ahead of their upcoming series against the San Francisco Giants, claiming 26-year-old right-handed pitcher Cameron Weston off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.
The move, announced Thursday, comes as the Mets prepare to return home for a three-game series against San Francisco beginning Friday. New York is coming off a 10-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, taking two of three games in the series.
Weston will not immediately join the Mets’ major-league bullpen, however. The club optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse after claiming him, meaning the organization will have an opportunity to evaluate him within its minor-league system before potentially giving him another opportunity in the majors.
To make room for Weston on the 40-man roster, the Mets designated catcher Shawn Ross for assignment. The corresponding move gives New York control of Weston’s rights while creating another pitching option for the organization to develop.
Weston made his major-league debut with Baltimore earlier this season. He appeared in one game and delivered a scoreless inning, giving him a small taste of major-league competition despite spending most of the year in the minors.
His Triple-A numbers have been considerably less encouraging. Weston has appeared in 31 games out of the bullpen and has gone 1-4 with a 7.89 ERA over 51.1 innings. He has recorded 66 strikeouts, but his 1.93 WHIP shows that he has struggled to consistently keep runners off base.
Still, the Mets’ decision to claim him suggests the organization sees something worth developing. Weston has accumulated significant minor-league experience since being drafted by the Orioles in 2022. Across his minor-league career, he has appeared in 105 games, compiling an 18-24 record, a 4.37 ERA and 387 strikeouts over 350 innings.
For New York, the timing of the move is particularly interesting. The Mets enter September well outside the playoff race, sitting at 63-77 and 10.5 games behind the final National League Wild Card position. That situation gives the organization an opportunity to evaluate younger players and potential depth pieces while looking ahead to the future.
Weston therefore represents more of a developmental addition than an immediate solution. The Mets can use the final weeks of the season to evaluate whether his stuff can translate into more consistent results and potentially determine whether he could compete for a bullpen role in 2027.
The Mets are scheduled to open their series against the Giants on Friday at Citi Field, with Nolan McLean listed as New York’s probable starter. While Weston is unlikely to have an immediate impact on the series, his waiver claim gives the Mets another young arm to monitor as the organization begins looking beyond the 2026 season.
It may not be the headline-grabbing acquisition Mets fans were expecting, but the Weston move could prove useful if the 26-year-old can turn his intriguing strikeout ability into more consistent results at Triple-A Syracuse.
