Drafted by the Mets in the 24th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, catcher Hayden Senger has been waiting years for the message he finally received just before the team broke camp in Port St. Lucie this week.
For the first time, the 27-year-old can call himself a major leaguer.
Senger, who has played a combined 402 games in the Mets’ minor league system, has officially made the 2025 Opening Day roster. President of baseball operations David Stearns announced the move to reporters on Wednesday, and Senger later spoke to the assembled media, describing what that moment meant to him.
“It was a very nice conversation. I feel like I couldn’t really get words out,” Senger said. “I was really excited. All of those years that I put in, kind of overwhelmed me. So, yeah, pretty speechless.”
With Francisco Alvarez beginning the season on the Injured List due to a broken bone in his left hand, Luis Torrens will take over as the starting catcher, opening a spot for Senger as the backup.
“There’s a lot of down times and lot of times when I felt like I was on top of the world,” Senger said. “It’s a roller coaster playing in the minor leagues for that long. To be here, it does make it all worth it.”
“I’ve got to give a shoutout to my wife [Ryann],” Senger added later. “She has worked for a lot of years to support me through this, and it kind of made it all worth it now that I get to say I’m a major league baseball player.”
Stearns said Senger making the team is a good story, but that's not the reason he made the ballclub.
“He’s getting the job because we think he can help us win games,” Stearns said. “He’s an elite defensive catcher. Our pitchers love throwing to him; that really matters for us. And we’re excited to have him on the team and looking forward to watching him play.”
As Senger has battled his way up through the Mets’ minor league system (he first got a taste of Triple-A ball in 2022), he’s needed to take on an offseason job along the way, working in a grocery store to supplement his income.
“[Carlos Mendoza] said I know what you do in the offseason,” Senger said about when he got the call into the manager’s office, “and I don’t know if you ever got a promotion [there], but you got one here.”
Of course, there’s no telling how long this major league dream will last for Senger, but he’s not thinking that far ahead. For now, he’s soaking up every moment he can as he looks forward to his major league debut.
But what about keeping that other job?
“Still up in the air,” Senger said with a laugh. “I gotta tell my boss.”