RHP Rob Whalen has come out of retirement and has returned to the Mets organization on a minor league deal.

Whalen, 25, was drafted by the Mets in the 12th round of the 2012 draft. In 2015, he was traded along with John Gant in exchange for Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson.

Whalen made a total of eight Major League relief appearances over a three year time period from 2016 – 2018. Whalen did not pitch last season as he had retired due to his anxiety.

Whalen had stepped away during the 2017 season, and he retired after the 2018 season. After being away for the year, he began to work out with Top Level Athletes in an attempt to return.

While there, he worked with Jon Updike, the former Mets scout who left the organization to work with Baseball Cloud.

Whalen now returns to the Mets organization where his professional baseball career began. Anecdotally, much like Brad Brach, Whalen is a reliever who grew up a Mets fan and is returning to the team for the 2020 season.