With spring training set to begin soon, many players will be looking for the opportunity to earn a major league roster spot by Opening Day as they aim to impress during camp. However, some players won’t even get the chance to show what they can do before any game action has taken place. That happens to be the case for former Philadelphia Phillies reliever Luis Ortiz, who was recently released by the New York Mets before he could even throw a single pitch for his new ball club.
The Mets originally signed Ortiz to a minor league deal back during the 2024-25 offseason after he elected free agency following his outright to the minors by the Phillies after the 2024 season. New York knew at the time that the right-hander was set to miss the entire 2025 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
It appeared to be a stash move by the Mets to hold onto Ortiz as he rehabbed to see what can provide to the team in 2026. However, the 30-year-old was ruthlessly casted aside without even getting a chance to make it to training camp.
Luis Ortiz was once supposed to be a part of Phillies bullpen before injuries struck
It wasn’t too long ago when Philadelphia had high hopes for the once-promising right-hander when they claimed him off of waivers from the San Francisco Giants during the 2022-23 offseason. Ortiz made a decent impression in his short stint with the Phillies big league club in 2023 posting a tidy 3.32 ERA, giving up just seven earned runs along with five walks and 16 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched over 14 relief appearances.
However, a horrendous start to his 2024 campaign when he gave up two runs on three hits over 2/3 of an inning in his season debut was quickly magnified as a result of a left ankle sprain that occurred in the same game. That ankle injury landed Ortiz on the injured list, which subsequently led to him being hit with right shoulder inflammation for his first setback during his rehab.
After that, he suffered a second setback as he experienced forearm discomfort that ultimately led to Tommy John surgery to correct the issue. That eventually spelled the end to his tenure with the Phillies by the end of the 2024 season.
Now as a free agent, Ortiz will look for the opportunity to prove himself once again heading into 2026. Perhaps the Phillies should also consider a second go-around for their former reliever on a minor league deal, since they didn’t really have a long look of Ortiz during his first stint with the ball club. And who knows, he could be a sneaky add to their bullpen to help Philadelphia get back into the playoffs this upcoming season.