It's been an NL East-centric week for the Atlanta Braves, who opened June's final week with a series against the New York Mets ahead of their current one with the Philadelphia Phillies. It's been a mixed bag so far, though, as the Braves are 3-3 on the week ahead of Sunday's finale at Truist Park.
But just as manager Brian Snitker's club prepared for Sunday's showdown, the Braves learned that one of their former pitchers had just re-signed with the same club that handed him a pink slip earlier this week.
Former Braves RHP Richard Lovelady Re-Signs with Mets 4 Days After Being DFA'd
On Sunday morning, CBS Sports reported that the Mets have re-signed veteran pitcher Richard Lovelady to an MLB contract for the rest of the 2025 campaign. The news is somewhat surprising, given that New York designated Lovelady for assignment just four days ago.
For Braves fans struggling to remember his forgettable stint with the organization, Lovelady played four games with Triple-A Gwinnett back in 2023.
Nevertheless, the new contract is just the latest development in what's been a rocky season for the ex-Braves pitcher. Lovelady began the campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays; however, he was DFA'd at the end of March after giving up four earned runs in only 1 2/3 innings of work. He joined the Minnesota Twins on a minor-league deal about a week later and pitched well in Triple-A before opting out to become a free agent on June 18.
The Mets were ready to roll the dice on Lovelady shortly after that, signing him to an MLB contract on Monday. His New York debut was a bust, though, as he allowed two earned runs and a pair of walks in 1 2/3 innings before being DFA'd by the Mets less than 24 hours later.
The Mets and Lovelady might be running things back due to a lack of options for either side. New York is clearly struggling to find reliable arms at this point in the season, whereas Lovelady's potential job prospects are probably non-existent based on how his 2025 performance has unfolded so far.
Only time will tell if Lovelady's latest MLB stint will last. His career hasn't been much to write home about outside of his 2021 performance, and continuing to find opportunities will be even harder if he ends up getting DFA'd by the Braves' rival again.