Mets make rapid roster shuffle, recalling Robert Stock and Bryce Conley while designating Kevin Herget and MJ Melendez

The Mets began a fast, transaction-driven stretch on Sunday by reshaping their 40-man roster in advance of what is expected to be additional movement over the next day and a half. New York recalled right-hander Robert Stock to the major league roster, with the move coming ahead of his start for the Mets. The organization also brought pitcher Bryce Conley back up as part of the same call-up window.

Roster moves in the late season often operate on a tight schedule, and the Mets’ set of moves reflected that reality. To make space for those additions, the team designated Kevin Herget for assignment. A designation for assignment gives the club a short, defined window to trade the player, release him, or place him through waivers for other clubs to claim.

The Mets also used a second roster clearing step to create room for what the team described as major churn. Outfielder MJ Melendez was designated for assignment as New York prepared for larger roster volatility in the immediate term. The practical impact is that Melendez’s spot on the active roster is no longer locked in, and his future with the organization will depend on what happens during the DFA process.

In addition to the call-ups and the two DFAs, the Mets sent Jonathan Pintaro back to Triple-A Syracuse. That optioning move indicates the Mets wanted to retain Pintaro in their broader system rather than expose him to immediate roster consequences, while still balancing the pitching and position-player depth needed for the near term.

Taken together, the transactions map to two common roster goals for MLB teams right now: stabilize a short-term pitching plan and keep flexibility as the season moves toward its later playoff positioning. Stock’s immediate role as an expected starter, paired with the recall of Conley, suggests the Mets wanted major-league-ready arms available for the coming rotation and bullpen needs.

The decisions also underline how quickly MLB rosters can turn over once teams reach the part of the schedule where managing player availability becomes both more important and more complicated. When multiple DFAs occur within a short span, it can be a sign of teams trying to align their roster with matchups, workload planning, or internal performance evaluations across the minor-league pipeline.

For Mets fans, the most immediate question is what the club does next during the DFA windows. Each designated player can be claimed by another team, traded, or potentially returned to the minors if unclaimed and if he is eligible. The next 36 hours described by the team will likely determine whether the Mets merely reshuffled internal pieces or whether they lose one of the players who were placed on waivers.

The Mets’ next steps will also clarify how they intend to use the newly recalled pitchers once Stock’s start arrives and as Conley becomes part of the major-league pitching mix. Until the DFAs play out, though, New York’s active roster picture remains in flux, and the organization’s depth across both pitching and position-player depth will be the foundation for whatever comes next.