Former NY Mets player DFA'd after throwing 0 pitches for his new team

A once top-10 prospect in the New York Mets organization made his MLB debut just last week, and now has found himself without an organization to call home.

After the Mets DFA'd Dom Hamel on September 18th following his big-league debut, the Baltimore Orioles picked up the 26-year-old righty just to give him the same fate before he even stepped on the mound.

Dom Hamel is back on the waiver wire again

Hamel, a Chandler, Arizona native, was drafted in the third round of the 2021 MLB draft by the Mets from Dallas Baptist University. He quickly found success in the Mets' organization, posting a 10-3 record with a 3.25 ERA in 2022 across Single and High-A levels, and peaked as the organization's ninth-ranked prospect. However, Hamel found trouble upon reaching Triple-A, posting a 6.06 ERA across his 2024 and 2025 seasons with Syracuse.

The Mets called Hamel up once before his debut, but he was sent back down to Triple-A before he saw any action, making him for a month what is known as a "phantom ballplayer."

When the Mets called Hamel up for his major league debut in September, he made a bit of history; with his appearance on September 17th, the Mets set an MLB record for most pitchers used by a team in one season with 46 (not necessarily a desirable record, but a record nonetheless).

In his one major league appearance, the sixth inning of what would be a 7-3 loss to the San Diego Padres, Hamel allowed three hits and a hit-by-pitch, but escaped the inning unscathed. Just a day after his scoreless debut, the Mets designated him for assignment, where he was promptly picked up by the Orioles.

Immediately following the pickup, the Orioles optioned Hamel to Triple-A Norfolk, but before he could even appear in a game for his new organization, Hamel was DFA'd by Baltimore to make room for Carson Ragsdale, a righty acquired off waivers from the Atlanta Braves.

Hamel may not have had the best minor league numbers, but he's proven to be an efficient strikeout guy, with a 26.8% strikeout rate across 438 1/3 minor league innings; that may be enough to garner some interest from teams looking for a waiver claim.

Of course, this doesn't mean the end for Dom Hamel -- it's likely the Orioles just didn't want to have him sitting on the 40-man all winter -- but it can't be easy for a once respected prospect to be DFA'd twice in less than a week, especially right after their MLB debut.