Ottavino is an option to replace Edwin Diaz (knee) in save situations, Tim Britton and Andy McCullough of The Athletic report.
The veteran right-hander is probably the best healthy reliever remaining on the roster, but that fact could encourage manager Buck Showalter to use him earlier in games in high-leverage spots rather than limiting him to the ninth inning. Ottavino's platoon splits could also keep him out of the save picture in games where the opposition has tough left-handed hitters due up in the ninth. David Robertson and Brooks Raley appear to be the other internal options to replace Diaz, although Mets owner Steve Cohen likely won't be afraid to spend more money and acquire another relief arm.
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Mets' Adam Ottavino: Remains in Queens
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Ottavino signed a two-year contract to remain a Met on Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Ottavino will make $14.5 million across two seasons, though he can opt out after one year, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com. If he repeats his 2.06 ERA from last season, he may well do that, even if it would mean re-entering the market at age 38. The veteran righty appeared to be slowing down in 2020 and 2021, struggling to a 4.59 ERA while striking out 26.6 percent of opposing batters while walking 12.2 percent, but he was back in vintage form last year, backing up his pristine ERA with a 30.6 percent strikeout rate and 6.2 percent walk rate. He should be an excellent bridge to Edwin Diaz and could take over the ninth-inning role should Diaz miss time.
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Mets' Adam Ottavino: Records third save
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Ottavino picked up the save in Thursday's 5-3 victory over the Dodgers. He didn't allow a baserunner while striking out two over one inning.
Ottavino has now recorded three saves in his last four appearances, and he has allowed just one run in 12 innings over his last 12 outings. In addition, the righty has allowed only two hits and one walk in 6.2 innings during his last six appearances. Normal closer Edwin Diaz navigated a tough eighth inning Thursday, and it's Diaz's own excellence that could yield Ottavino a few saves down the stretch, specifically in cases where Diaz has pitched the previous days or when game situations dictate him being used through the toughest parts of the order earlier than the ninth.
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Mets' Adam Ottavino: Picks up second save
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Ottavino allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Rockies.
This was Ottavino's second save in as many appearances. Edwin Diaz was likely unavailable Saturday after pitching each of the last two days, allowing the save chance to fall to Ottavino, who also earned a save Thursday when Diaz was deployed in the eighth inning and earned a hold. Ottavino has earned high-leverage opportunities -- he hasn't allowed more than one run in any appearance since May 4. In that span, he's given up a single run on five occasions in his last 41 outings. For the season, he's pitched to a 2.09 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 61:14 K:BB through 51.2 innings while adding two saves, 17 holds, three blown saves and a 5-2 record as a setup man.
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Mets' Adam Ottavino: Records first save
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Ottavino earned a save against the Rockies on Thursday, striking out one batter in a perfect ninth inning.
The Mets elected to use closer Edwin Diaz in the eighth inning Thursday, so it was Ottavino who got the opportunity to close the door in the ninth. The right-hander proved up to the task, needing only 12 pitches to set the side down in order. Ottavino saved 11 contests with Boston last season, but Diaz is the unquestioned closer for New York, so save opportunities for other relievers will likely be few and far between.
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Mets' Adam Ottavino: Snags seventh hold
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Ottavino worked 0.2 scoreless innings Friday to record his seventh hold of the season in a win over the Angels.
After Joely Rodriguez put the first two Angels aboard in the eighth inning before striking out Brandon Marsh, Ottavino got the call to shut down the rally and needed only three pitches to induce a double play grounder from Jo Adell. Ottavino has settled into his setup role for the Mets, with six of his holds coming since the beginning of May -- a stretch during which he's posted a 2.45 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB over 14,2 innings.
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Mets' Adam Ottavino: Grabs win Tuesday
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Ottavino (1-0) walked one in a scoreless 10th inning Tuesday to pick up the win in the first game of a doubleheader against the Giants.
It was far from a sharp effort, as Ottavino threw only eight of 17 pitches for strikes, but he escaped danger thanks to a great defensive play at first base by Pete Alonso to snag a wide throw from Francisco Lindor, who subsequently atoned for the miscue by singling home Brandon Nimmo for the winning run in the bottom of the frame. Ottavino has yet to collect a save or a hold through his first five appearances for the Mets, but he's otherwise had a solid start to the season with a 0.00 ERA and 6:2 K:BB through 4.2 innings.
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Mets' Adam Ottavino: Strikes deal with Mets
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Ottavino agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with the Mets on Sunday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
After spending the 2019 and 2020 seasons in the Bronx, the New York native will now move on to the Big Apple's other team in what marks the fifth big-league stop of his career. Ottavino most recently spent the 2021 campaign in Boston, with whom he served as a part-time closer on his way to gathering 11 saves to go with a 4.71 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 62 innings. Aside from issuing too many free passes (12.7 BB), Ottavino generally delivered solid peripherals (3.71 xERA, 25.7 K%, 0.7 HR/9), so he should remain a serviceable bullpen piece for the Mets. He'll likely face a tougher path to saves in New York, however, as Edwin Diaz is locked in as the team's closer and Trevor May and Seth Lugo both profile as quality setup options.
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Red Sox's Adam Ottavino: Charged with blown save Sunday
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Ottavino was handed a blown save in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Yankees after allowing all three batters he faced to reach base. He hit a batter and surrendered a two-run double to Aaron Judge and a two-run home run to Giancarlo Stanton.
Ottavino was summoned from the bullpen in the top of the eighth inning with two outs and runners on the corners with Boston clinging to a 3-2 lead. The right-hander looked like he might get out of the jam unscathed after inducing a pair of fouled balls off the bat of Judge, but neither first baseman Bobby Dalbec nor catcher Christian Vazquez could secure the catch. Judge made the Red Sox pay for giving him a third chance, as he lined Ottavino's four-seam fastball to left-center field on the eighth pitch of the at-bat to score the go-ahead run. Neither of those runs were charged to Ottavino, but his ERA still took a hit when he served up the long ball to Stanton one batter later. Even though his last save came Sept. 1 and he's blown two saves since that span, Ottavino could still be Boston's preferred closing option. Ottavino has at least delivered value for fantasy managers during his save drought by scooping up four wins in relief.
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Red Sox's Adam Ottavino: Stumbles upon fifth win
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Ottavino (5-3) allowed three runs on three hits with one strikeout through one inning, miraculously picking up the win (and a blown save) in Saturday's 4-3 victory over Cleveland.
There might be a 'W' next to Ottavino's name, but he isn't feeling like a victor tonight. The right-hander inherited a 3-0 lead in the top of the ninth and got Cleveland down to its final strike before Franmil Reyes demolished a hanging slider to tie the game at three. Fortunately for Ottavino and fantasy managers alike, the Red Sox picked him up in the bottom half of the inning to walk it off. The win is the 35-year-old's second in as many days, but his scoreless streak of 7.1 innings is over.
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Red Sox's Adam Ottavino: Earns fourth win
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Ottavino (4-3) struck out both batters he faced to earn the win Friday over Cleveland.
While the 35-year-old has converted saves in his last three appearances with Matt Barnes on the COVID-19 injured list, Ottavino was called upon to finish the seventh inning after Nathan Eovaldi ran out of steam. Ottavino did so with just 10 pitches (six strikes), and Boston's five-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning put him in line for the win. The right-hander owns a 3.35 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 60:30 K:BB across 53.2 innings while adding 11 saves and 20 holds. While he's not a traditional closer at this time, he should remain in the mix for high-leverage situations whenever they arise.
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Red Sox's Adam Ottavino: Locks down save
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Ottavino pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning while striking out two on his way to his 11th save in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Rays.
The 35-year-old has now registered a save in three consecutive outings and will continue to serve as the closer until Matt Barnes (COVID-19) returns, at minimum. There's even a chance Ottavino retains the role beyond that point, considering Barnes has pitched to a 13.50 ERA since the beginning of August. In contrast, Ottavino has posted a 1.64 ERA since the start of last month and converted all four of his save chances during that span.
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Red Sox's Adam Ottavino: Records save Saturday
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Ottavino picked up the save Saturday in an extra-innings win over Cleveland after recording the final two outs of the game. He allowed one hit and struck out one.
The veteran reliever entered the game with one out in the 10th inning after Martin Perez had a wild outing -- he loaded the bases and struck out Bobby Bradley before allowing Ottavino to close things out. While he allowed an unearned run following an RBI single from Oscar Mercado, he also struck out Austin Hedges and retired Andres Gimenez on a groundout to pick up his 10th save of the season. He has gone 10-for-14 in save chances while also recording 20 holds to the tune of a 3.51 ERA, so Ottavino should remain one of Boston's top late-inning arms in the final weeks of the regular season.
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Red Sox's Adam Ottavino: Picks up ninth save
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Ottavino collected the save pitching a scoreless ninth inning with one walk and two strikeouts in a 4-3 win over Cleveland on Friday.
Ottavino worked around a leadoff walk and stolen base from pinch-runner Andres Gimenez in the ninth to secure save No. 9 of the season. The veteran reliever has now worked five consecutive scoreless outings out of the bullpen, and carries a 3.51 ERA as we inch closer to September.
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Red Sox's Adam Ottavino: Picks up eighth save
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Ottavino worked a perfect inning and struck out one en route to his eighth save of the season in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Blue Jays.
Ottavino picked up his eighth save of the season in dramatic fashion Saturday night, striking out Teoscar Hernandez to strand the tying run at third and end the game. This is the right-hander's first save since July 5. After a rough close to the month of July, Ottavino's first two outings in August have been much more fruitful. The Red Sox will need the 35-year-old to remain a reliable option if they want to keep up in the pennant race.
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Red Sox's Adam Ottavino: Hits rough stretch
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Ottavino allowed three runs on two hits and a hit batsman while striking out two over two-thirds of an inning in Saturday's 9-5 loss to the Rays.
Ottavino closed out the seventh inning without incident but ran into immediate trouble in the eighth. He permitted a leadoff double, then hit a batter before giving up a run-producing single. That ended his night, but two more runs were charged to him while Austin Davis was on the mound. There have been a few struggling relievers among the Red Sox bullpen lately, with Ottavino being one of them. He's allowed seven runs on seven hits, two walks and two hit batsmen over his last three innings.
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Red Sox's Adam Ottavino: Nabs win Monday
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Ottavino (3-3) earned the win Monday versus Toronto. He allowed one hit in a scoreless inning.
The right-hander kept the deficit to one run, and Alex Verdugo put Boston ahead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Ottavino struggled during last weekend's series versus the Yankees, allowing four runs across two appearances. He's mostly been a setup man this year with 16 holds, seven saves and four blown saves across 41.1 innings. He's added a solid 3.27 ERA, but his 1.35 WHIP and 47:23 K:BB leave plenty to be desired.
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Red Sox's Adam Ottavino: Done in by Yanks
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Ottavino (2-3) allowed two runs on three hits over a third of an inning to pick up the loss against the Yankees on Saturday.
Ottavino entered a situation not unlike several others this season -- the eighth inning with runners on base -- but the reliever, who previously prevented 19 of 20 inherited runners from scoring, could not get it done Saturday. A 70.3 mph bloop ground-rule double, followed by a hard-hit double off the wall, then a 72.8 mph bloop single completed New York's comeback from a 3-0 deficit to start the eighth inning.
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Red Sox's Adam Ottavino: Notches seventh save
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Ottavino allowed one run on two hits and a walk while striking out two to lock down the save in Monday's 5-4 win over the Angels.
Ottavino was on in the ninth because closer Matt Barnes threw 33 pitches the day prior. He ran into trouble, giving up a run and had two men on with the dangerous Shohei Ohtani at the dish. The fill-in closer wriggled out of the jam, as Ohtani's 101.9 mph grounder was picked cleanly by second baseman Christian Arroyo to end the threat and the game. It was Ottavino's seventh save.
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Red Sox's Adam Ottavino: Notches sixth save
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Ottavino earned a save after allowing a hit in a scoreless 10th inning in Friday's win over Oakland.
After Matt Barnes blew a save chance in the ninth inning, Ottavino converted his sixth save of the year in the 10th. He gave up a single to Jed Lowrie before escaping the jam. The 35-year-old has converted six of his nine save opportunities this season and lowered his season ERA to 2.65.
