What Is The Development List?

Former top-100 prospect Ryan Clifford, who the New York Mets acquired from the Houston Astros as part of the Justin Verlander trade in 2023 was placed on the development list on August 19. It is easy to sound the alarms, but this is not necessarily a full reason to panic.

Obviously, if everything was going well Clifford would not have been put on this list. On the season Clifford is slashing .175/.267/.344 (.611 OPS). Both his 72.9% zone-contact rate and 37.9% strikeout rate are the worst in Triple-A while his 34.6% whiff rate is in the bottom five percent in Triple-A. He has been put on this list because there is something he needs to fix.

But what is the development list and what players have come off it to have success?

So What is the Development List?

Created in 2021 the development list allows minor league organizations to monitor prospect’s usage and development, while allowing the player to stay with the team to continue learning. It has been used for anything from helping to limit a pitcher’s pitch count to making large swing overhauls. It is for healthy players the team want to get more hands on instruction outside of game play.

Utilizing this list removes the player from that minor league team roster, also opening up a spot for another player to get playing time. In the case of Ryan Clifford, that player was Billy Amick. Instead of putting the player on the injured list with a “phantom injury” they can be put on the development list. Players also get to keep the salary for the level they are at while on the list.

What Players Have Had Success After Being on This List?

The biggest success story of a player put on the development list for performance is probably Geraldo Perdomo who was put on the list July 8, 2021. At the time Perdomo was slashing .151/.305/.204 (.509 OPS) in Double-A. When he returned from the list between Double-A and Triple-A across the remainder of the season he slashed .329/.414/.521 (.935 OPS) and even got the call to the majors at the end of the season slashing .258/.378/.419 (.797 OPS) across 11 games.

Perdomo has gone on to be a .253/.350/.374 (.724 OPS) hitter across 690 games which includes an all star appearance in 2023 and a fourth-place MVP finish and Silver Slugger Award in 2025. His major league success helped him earn a four-year $45 million contract.

A recent debut who was put on the list for offensive struggles was Joshua Baez. He was placed on the development list on July 30, 2024 and there were questions at the time about whether or not he would be protected in the rule five draft. At the time he was slashing .225/.306/.388 (.694 OPS) and was coming off a month where he hit .171 with only three extra bases. In his fifteen games after going on the list he slashed .340/.459/.500 (.959 OPS) and by the time he debuted in the majors he was considered one of the best prospects in the game. He started off his major league career with four home runs and while he has not done a ton in the few games since, he has the tools to have a strong major league career.

Evan Carter is a bit more of a mixed bag. He was put on development list on June 2, 2023 after struggling through May slashing .226/.321/.269 (.590 OPS). By the end of that season he debuted in the majors slashing .306/.413/.645 (1.058 OPS) across 23 games, playing a huge part in the Texas Rangers 2023 World Series win. He struggled in 2024 and has battled injuries across the last few seasons, but had a decent 2025 slashing .247/.336/.392 (.728 OPS).

A player who has not debuted but has drastically improved his stock is Arjun Nimmala who was placed on the development list May 14, 2024 while slashing .167/.280/.306 (.586 OPS). He returned in June and for the remainder of the season slashed. .263/.346/.565 (.911 OPS). MLB Pipeline currently has him ranked the 38th-best prospect in baseball and he was the centerpiece in the Jose Soriano trade at the most recent trade deadline.

Some players are moved for load management reasons like Jackson Merrill who performed well in 2023 with a .782 OPS before going on the list or Braxton Ashcraft in 2023 who at the time had thrown a career high innings pitched but had a 1.35 ERA in Double-A.

What Does This Mean for Ryan Clifford?

Going on the development list is not a death sentence. What it means is that he has legitimate issues that need to be addressed that the team felt could not be addressed through playing Triple-A games. We have seen him struggle and bounce back before. With the Mets in 2023 he slashed .188/.307/.376 (.683 OPS). He followed that up with seasons where he put up a .793 and then .826 OPS.

Clifford needs to figure out why he is struggling so heavily to make contact and see the ball. He still has incredible power but he is not walking in the minors at near a high enough rate (10.9%) to be a three true outcomes player. He also does not have the defensive profile that some of the players noted above have to fall back on. If he is unable to correct these issues it is possible he may not even be protected in the rule five draft. But it is still possible the Mets find the issue and are able to address it with time for Clifford to end 2026 on a high note.