Justin Hagenman Impresses in Major League Debut

Missed calls. Runners thrown out at the plate. Failed challenges. A walk-off loss.

It’s safe to say Wednesday afternoon’s rubber game in Minnesota wasn’t exactly the Mets’ finest showing, but there was a silver lining.

Justin Hagenman, called up from Triple-A after Griffin Canning fell ill, made his MLB debut in the second inning and made the most of it. The 28-year-old Penn State alum struck out four over 3 1/3 innings, allowing just one earned run.

“It was fun,” Hagenman said postgame. “It was everything you hope for and more.”

Hagenman’s journey to the big leagues has been a long one. Drafted by the Dodgers in the 23rd round back in 2018, he bounced around the minors for years before landing with the Red Sox in 2023 via the trade that sent Enrique Hernández back to L.A.

After a strong showing in 2023 (a 2.95 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across Triple-A stops with the Dodgers and Red Sox), Hagenman struggled in Worcester the following year, posting a 4.91 ERA over 91.2 innings. He accumulated enough MiLB service time to elect free agency and was picked up by David Stearns and the Mets this past winter.

Things didn’t exactly click right away in Syracuse, however. In 10 1/3 innings, Hagenman gave up 15 hits and eight earned runs, with opponents batting .319 off him and a WHIP north of 1.80, but sometimes, opportunities pop up out of nowhere. Canning got sick, and suddenly, Hagenman found himself boarding a flight to Minneapolis, walking onto a major league mound with his family in the stands cheering him on.

Two stikeouts for Justin Hagenman in his first MLB inning and his family loves it ???? pic.twitter.com/ao3mg06wgg

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 16, 2025

Now the question is, will Hagenman stick? Realistically, probably not just yet. He’s likely headed back down to Triple-A today, but he has minor league options, and that’s important. The Mets can bring him back up when needed, and after yesterday’s showing, they know he can hang.

Hagenman doesn’t have electric stuff, but he’s got a solid mix. His low-90s sinker, which he throws nearly 50% of the time, has had decent whiff and chase numbers in the minors. He pairs that with a low-80s changeup, slider, and cutter, mixing them fairly evenly. In Wednesday’s outing, Hagenman generated five whiffs on 24 attempts – two each on his sinker and change-up and one on his slider.

It’s not a flashy repertoire, but it’s effective, and sometimes, that’s all you need. For now, Hagenman showed he belongs, and maybe that’s the start of something.

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