The Subway Series is once again in full swing. The New York Mets and New York Yankees will lock horns in game two of their series this afternoon. The Yankees won the first matchup 6-2 and look to continue their winning ways on Saturday. Before the matchup, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns made a move to augment their bullpen. Newly acquired reliever Jose Castillo was activated before Saturday's game, according to the Athletic's Will Sammon on X, formerly Twitter.

“The Mets activated new lefty reliever José Castillo and optioned Dedniel Núñez,” posted Sammon on the social media site. “Ronny Mauricio’s IL stint ended and the Mets optioned him to Triple A.”

Currently sitting in first place atop the NL East, the Mets are undoubtedly hoping for an even better ending than last season. The club lost a back-and-forth National League Championship Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, and they've only added to that roster. Can the addition of Castillo help a Mets bullpen that could use some more arms? That is something that Stearns, manager Carlos Mendoza and the rest of the New York brass are pulling for moving forward.

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Although the early stats (an ERA north of 11 and a WHIP over two) aren't promising for Castillo, that is something that the Mets hope he can turn around. He hasn't pitched regularly in the majors since 2018, as he's been mostly in the San Diego Padres' system. New York acquired him from the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he pitched against the team earlier this season in their series.

Stearns and the Mets' leadership likely saw something from the left-hander in that set, and now he's in Queens. As New York hopes to build upon their slim NL East lead, can Castillo and the rest of the bullpen help them in their pursuit? If so, then another NLCS berth could happen, and possibly even more than that.