Promising NY Mets prospect is getting buried on the depth chart, but he has a shovel

Already on the 40-man roster, there was some thought the New York Mets could give reliever Dylan Ross a chance to find his way onto the team to begin the 2026 season. Not so fast. Several newcomers to the roster, namely Tobias Myers and Luis Garcia, have pushed him back to the minors.

The Mets currently have six starting pitchers on their roster, not including Myers, which could open up an additional spot for a player like Ross. Myers and Huascar Brazoban are both optional and perhaps a little redundant if the Mets do think of both as longmen. Brazoban is probably more of a 3 innings guy maximum while Myers might be able to sneak away with 5 thanks to his history as a starter.

What does it mean for Ross?

There’s still a path for Dylan Ross to make the Mets out of camp

His 32 Triple-A innings and 1.69 ERA tell us Ross can handle himself there. It’s a matter of mastering control. His one bugaboo was throwing strikes consistently enough. He issued 22 walks last season.

The hard-throwing righty is a bit of a stereotype in that regard. The 6.2 BB/9 rate is what kept him from getting called up prior to the final series of the 2025 season. The Mets never did use him, opting to instead collapse without seeing what he might do in a high-pressure situation.

Ross may be competing alongside Brazoban and even Myers (it’s not ridiculous to demote him if needed) while also being a top candidate for an added bullpen spot if the Mets ever decide to subtract a starting pitcher. Equally as possible is for Ross to replace an injured player. The only other right-handed relievers currently on the 40-man roster and not projected to make the team are Alex Carrillo, Austin Warren, and Joey Gerber, acquired for cash from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Out of those four, Ross is by far the most intriguing.

There are also a whole lot of non-roster invitees. Most likely have an opt out clause in their contracts that’ll allow them to elect free agency if not elected to the team. A player like Craig Kimbrel, for instance, may prefer to sign on elsewhere rather than tune up in Syracuse for however long it takes.

It’s not an impossibility, just increasingly unlikely we see Ross break camp with the team outside of a couple of IL stints and a spring so hot he cannot be denied an opportunity. There’s still a possibility the Mets even add one more reliever via trade. They have the optional spots already belonging to Myers and Brazoban. Three, if the third belongs to Ross or someone else, feels extreme.