Nathan Lavender: Everything you need to know

Lavender (elbow) cleared outright waivers Wednesday and was returned to the Mets. The Rays acquired Lavender via the Rule 5 Draft last winter, so now that he's been outrighted off the Rays' 40-man roster, he'll return to the Mets' farm system. The 25-year-old lefty missed all of last season while recovering from an internal brace procedure, and he underwent another surgery in August to remove a bone spur in his left elbow. His availability for spring training remains unclear.

The Rays activated Lavender (elbow) from the 60-day injured list and designated him for assignment. Lavender underwent surgery in late August or early September to remove a bone spur in his left elbow. It's possible he'll be available for the start of spring training. However, he'll be exposed to waivers after Thursday's move. Lavender, who turns 25 in January, has yet to make his MLB debut.

The Rays announced Tuesday that Lavender is scheduled to have surgery in the near future to remove a bone spur in his left elbow and will miss the remainder of the season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. A Rule 5 selection over the winter, Lavender has resided on the Rays' injured list all season while on the mend from a May 2024 internal brace procedure on his elbow. Lavender was expected to be healthy enough to pitch during the second half of the season, but after developing the bone spur at some point in the ramp-up process, he never advanced to a minor-league rehab assignment. On a positive note, Lavender doesn't appear to be dealing with any new ligament damage to his surgically repaired elbow, so the procedure to address the bone spur may not affect his availability for the start of spring training.