Mets promoting reliever Jefry Yan who has wild strikeout celebration

In a season without much celebration, the Mets are promoting Mr. Celebration himself. 

After the Mets trade deadline sell-off – which included dealing away four veteran relievers – the team is filling a vacant bullpen spot by bringing up Jefry Yan from Triple-A Syracuse, who’s known for his post-strikeout celebrations. 

Following every strikeout, Yan leaps straight into the air, sometimes quite high, and lands in something close to a split. 

“I haven’t had any trouble with anyone, neither here nor anywhere else, nor in my own country,” Yan told MLB.com about his celebration in February. “Honestly, a lot of people laugh, and many tell me, ‘You outdid yourself, you made me go viral,’ but they know that I enjoy what I do. I don’t disrespect them, the team, nor the fans.

“I’ve always been like this. I’ve always been a very energetic, cheerful kind of guy who likes to have fun in the game and enjoy the moment.”

The 29-year-old’s path to the MLB has been quite unconventional, as he signed with the Angels as a teenager out of the Dominican Republic in 2014 but hasn’t cracked MLB yet.

Yan pitched with the Angels for two seasons in the minors before having Tommy John Surgery in 2016. He didn’t go on to pitch again until 2021. 

He spent a few seasons in the Marlins minor league system, pitched in Japan in 2024 and for the Rockies’ Triple-A team in 2025. 

The Dominican then joined the Mets, and has split 2026 between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. 

Through 35 appearances, he’s pitched to a 3.24 ERA, but more notably has a 43.5 percent strikeout rate.

Yan’s 18.6% swinging-strike rate would also rank among the best of MLB relievers. 

That said, his high strikeout rate comes at the expense of his command, as his walk rate is high at 15.8 percent. 

He should get plenty of pitching time in a new-look bullpen that dealt away veterans like Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver Monday.