The Mets claimed Hummel off waivers from the Mariners on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Hummel, 29, went 2-for-23 at the plate during his time with the Mariners in 2023 but slashed .262/.409/.435 with eight homers and 26 steals at Triple-A Tacoma. He offers unique versatility with an ability to catch and also play the outfield. New Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was the Brewers' general manager when they drafted Hummel in 2016.
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Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Optioned to Triple-A
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Seattle optioned Hummel to Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Hummel was sent down to Triple-A after going just 2-for-23 (.087) over his 23 at-bats with the Mariners. He'll head down to the Rainiers and likely get regular playing time while Sam Haggerty was activated from the 7-day concussion injured list in a corresponding move.
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Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Getting start at DH
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Hummel is starting at designated hitter and batting eighth for the Mariners in Friday's game in Cleveland.
It's the third start this season for Hummel, with all of them coming in the DH spot. The 28-year-old is hitless in eight plate appearances so far, although he did contribute a stolen base.
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Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Swipes bag in Friday's start
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Hummel went 0-for-3 with a run scored and his first stolen base of the season in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Guardians.
After getting hit by a Hunter Gaddis pitch with one out in the fourth inning, Hummel stole second and came home on a Julio Rodriguez double. The former Diamondback has never been a big running threat in his career, but his 88th percentile sprint speed last season per Statcast suggests he has some untapped potential on that front. Hummel will first need to show he can hit enough to earn semi-consistent playing time as a utility player on the Seattle bench. The .581 OPS he managed in 66 games for Arizona in 2022 paled in comparison to the .969 OPS he's amassed at Triple-A over 125 games.
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Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Gets start at DH
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Hummel is hitting eighth as the designated hitter for Friday's game against the Guardians.
The Mariners have rotated bench options at designated hitter to begin the season, and Hummel will get the nod Friday after Tommy La Stella hit eighth as the DH in Thursday's opener. Acquired in a deal for Kyle Lewis in the winter, Hummel posted just a .581 OPS in 176 at-bats with the Diamondbacks last year but impressed during his time in the Cactus League this spring. He'll have a chance to win a consistent role with strong results in the early portion of the season.
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Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Nabs Opening Day spot
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Hummel is part of the Mariners' Opening Day roster, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
The 28-year-old Hummel finished spring training with walks across each of his last three plate appearances Sunday and Monday, capping a strong body of work in Cactus League play that included a .275/.420/.675 line across 50 plate appearances. Kramer notes Hummel's versatility -- he's capable of filling in at catcher and the corner outfield spots -- helped seal his spot on the Opening Day roster, although his offensive contributions certainly may have put him over the top.
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Mariners' Cooper Hummel: Trending toward Opening Day spot
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Hummel, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run in a Cactus League win over the Brewers on Monday, is projected to make the Opening Day roster by Daniel Kramer of MLB.com.
Kramer fleshed out his position-by-position Opening Day roster prognosis Friday, and Hummel, who can fill in at catcher and the corner outfield spots, added to this terrific spring Monday with a multi-hit effort that pushed his Cactus League average to .333 and his homer tally to four. The 28-year-old, who logged the first 201 plate appearances of his big-league career last season with the Diamondbacks after spending six-plus seasons in the minors, has been a constant presence on the basepaths all spring, and Kramer notes Hummel's defensive versatility would give the Mariners more flexibility with the workloads of the top backstop duo of Cal Raleigh and Tom Murphy.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Starts at catcher
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Hummel started at catcher and went 1-for-4 in Wednesday's 18-2 loss to Philadelphia.
All five of Hummel's starts since being recalled Aug. 9 have come behind the dish. Normally an outfielder, Hummel added catching duties to his resume in 2022, and any playing time for the rest of the season will likely come as a catcher, as Arizona's outfield is crowded with some of the organization's best prospects, in addition to the suddenly valuable Jake McCarthy. Daulton Varsho -- one of the prospects in the outfield that came up through the system as a catcher -- could also be used behind the plate, but he's primarily focused on right field.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Active in win
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Hummel started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Monday's 8-3 win over the Giants.
Hummel was recently called up, giving Arizona another right-handed bat -- he's a switch hitter -- to deploy against the southpaws, like San Francisco's Carlos Rodon. The 27-year-old outfielder batted .178 during his first MLB stint in 2022, but after a productive stretch at Triple-A Reno, Hummel has hit in three consecutive games with two stolen bases.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Recalled by Arizona
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Hummel was recalled from Triple-A Reno on Saturday.
Hummel hit just .178 over 41 major-league games to begin the season, but he performed much better after being demoted to the minors. He slashed .346/.477/.500 with two homers, 13 runs, seven RBI and two stolen bases over 14 games in Reno and will rejoin the big-league club after Pavin Smith was sent down.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Heads to Triple-A
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Hummel was optioned to Triple-A Reno Saturday.
Hummel had been with the Diamondbacks since the start of the season, but he hit just .178 (18-for-101) over 41 games, so he will head to the minors and try to get back on track.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Not starting Saturday
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Hummel isn't starting Saturday against the Dodgers.
Hummel entered as a pinch hitter during the last two games, and he went 0-for-2 with a run and a walk. He'll remain out of the lineup Saturday with Daulton Varsho serving as the designated hitter and Jose Herrera starting behind the dish.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Not starting Thursday
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Hummel isn't starting Thursday against the Dodgers.
Although Hummel was activated from the COVID-19 injured list ahead of Thursday's series opener against the Dodgers, he'll be out of the lineup. The 27-year-old should serve as the Diamondbacks' primary designated hitter now that he's healthy, but Christian Walker will serve as the DH while Jake McCarthy enters the lineup in right field Thursday.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Back from COVID-19 IL
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Hummel (illness) was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Thursday.
Hummel was placed on the COVID-19 IL last week and will rejoin the Diamondbacks ahead of Thursday's series opener against the Dodgers. The 27-year-old has appeared in 32 games in his first taste of big-league action this year and has a .190/.313/.354 slash line with two home runs, eight RBI and two stolen bases.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Not starting Monday
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Hummel isn't starting Monday against the Dodgers.
Even though Seth Beer was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Sunday, Hummel will be out of the lineup for the fourth time in the last seven games. Daulton Varsho will serve as the designated hitter while Jose Herrera starts behind the dish.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Slugs second homer in win
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Hummel went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Nationals.
Hummel batted leadoff after riding the bench for two games against Washington and gave his batting average a much-needed boost. Through his first 12 games in the majors, the 27-year-old is slashing .154/.353/.385.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: On base five times
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Hummel served as the designated hitter and went 1-for-2 with four walks and a stolen base in Wednesday's 3-2 extra-inning win over Houston.
Hummel batted leadoff, as he's done in two previous starts, and extended rallies in the second and 10th innings that produced all of Arizona's runs. He showed a knack for working counts during spring training, drawing eight free passes in 32 plate appearances. While his .167 batting average doesn't spark interest, there are several Diamondbacks struggling throughout the order. If Hummel continues to generate offense, he could work his way into more regular playing time.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Starts against lefty
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Hummel served as the designated hitter and batted leadoff against left-handed starter Sean Manaea in Friday's 3-0 loss to San Diego. He went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
Hummel is a switch-hitting outfielder and one of the few righty hitters available for Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo. This would have been a spot for Jordan Luplow, but his oblique injury landed him on the injured list to start the season. More will be learned about Lovullo's plans against southpaws Sunday, when San Diego's scheduled starter is lefty Blake Snell.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Makes first MLB appearance
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Hummel walked as a pinch hitter in Thursday's 4-2 win over San Diego.
The 27-year-old Hummel won a roster spot after the Diamondbacks placed Jordan Luplow (oblique) on the injured list. The switch-hitting outfielder will fill a depth role and could emerge as a platoon option for any of David Peralta, Pavin Smith or Daulton Varsho, being the only rostered outfielder who bats from the right side.
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Diamondbacks' Cooper Hummel: Closing in on roster spot
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Hummel's chances of earning a roster spot improved after Arizona announced Jordan Luplow sustained an oblique strain and may open the season on the injured list, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.
Hummel, a switch hitter, already stood a good chance of making the roster as the lone righty among a bunch of left-handed swingers in the outfield. The 27-year-old is enjoying success at the plate in spring training, going 5-for-17 with five walks, a home run, three RBI and six runs scored. "I've been really impressed with his approach and his ability to command the strike zone," manager Torey Lovullo said. "He just has a lot of good baseball concepts that he's applying every single day." Hummel, who was acquired from the Brewers last season in the Eduardo Escobar trade, has not yet appeared in a regular season MLB game. He slashed .311/.432/.546 with 12 home runs, 21 doubles, six triples, 52 RBI and 70 runs scored over a combined 92 games at Triple-A Nashville and Triple-A Reno in 2021.
