N.Y. Mets DFA Valley View graduate Kranick
On the biggest day of one former Valley View star’s professional career, another is going through a disappointment.
Just hours before Mason Black made his big league debut for the San Francisco Giants in Philadelphia, the New York Mets designated right-hander Max Kranick for assignment Monday.
The Mets claimed Kranick off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates in January, with hopes he could fill a role as a swingman on their rebuilt pitching staff this season. But he suffered a hamstring strain in spring training that landed him on the injured list for nearly five weeks.
Kranick, a 2016 Valley View graduate, made four rehab starts at Single-A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton before the Mets activated him from the IL and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse on April 28.
In his two International League starts, Kranick allowed two earned runs on eight hits over seven innings, walking four and fanning two. Arguably his best start of the season came Saturday at Rochester, when he held the Red Wings to just one hit in 3⅔ innings.
Kranick’s spot on the Mets’ 40-man roster now goes to right-hander Yohan Ramirez, a former Met who had a 6.00 ERA in five appearances out of the Baltimore bullpen this season.
For Kranick, the next seven days are critical to the immediate future of his career. He must be placed on waivers and can either be traded to or claimed by another team, released or outrighted back to the minors by the Mets if he clears waivers. A team that claims Kranick must place him on their 40-man roster.
