Jefry Yan brings a viral celebration to the majors, and the Mets bullpen arrives with a loud divide

The Mets got a new late-inning option on Wednesday night when they promoted right-hander Jefry Yan in time to face the Cleveland Guardians. Yan’s arrival was accompanied by another kind of spotlight: the viral strikeout celebration that made him a recognizable figure before he ever threw a big-league pitch in a Mets uniform.

By the time Yan worked his way through his debut, the crowd’s reaction had already become part of the story. According to CBS Sports’ report, his leap-forward, signature routine drew boos, showing how quickly a celebration that reads as playful or showy on social media can become polarizing once it plays in real time with thousands of eyes and an opposing dugout nearby.

What makes Yan’s case notable is that the call-up was not a straight line. At 29, he is arriving later than many prospects, and CBS described the journey to the majors as a meandering one. That context matters because relievers often have to survive multiple versions of themselves before a sustained major-league role takes shape, and late arrivals can carry extra pressure to prove they belong at the highest level immediately.

For the Mets, the transaction is rooted in baseball’s basic need: leverage and innings planning. A debut at the major-league level is rarely about a single inning in isolation, it is about what the organization expects to be able to do next time out. Yan’s promotion against Cleveland also gives the Mets a defined measuring point early, because the Guardians are a regular-season opponent that can punish mistakes, making it easier to judge how quickly a new reliever can settle into MLB timing, command, and bullpen rhythm.

The boos, meanwhile, do not necessarily predict how Yan’s career will go. MLB crowds react to personalities and moments as much as they react to results, and celebrations can swing from “earned flair” to “thrown-in disrespect” depending on the timing, the score, and the batter’s context. In Yan’s situation, the key is whether he can separate the attention from the mechanics. If he can, the noise becomes background rather than an obstacle.

Looking forward, the most important follow-up will be how the Mets use him after the debut. His promotion suggests the team believed he could contribute immediately, but bullpen roles tend to evolve based on effectiveness, matchup fit, and how a pitcher responds once opponents have had a look. For Yan, the challenge will be to keep the emotional edge that comes with a viral moment while proving, on the mound, that his celebration is just an accessory to the real job.