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For Levittown native Nick Roselli, the 2026 baseball season was supposed to start somewhere in the Mets’ minor league system.
Instead, it brought him home.
After being released by the Mets on April 1, Roselli signed with the Long Island Ducks, returning to the place where his baseball journey began. Less than three weeks later, he was back with the Mets.
Roselli became the fourth Ducks player this season to have his contract purchased by a Major League organization when the Mets re-signed the infielder Monday.
The Division Avenue High School product played in 14 games for the Ducks, batting .250 with two home runs, eight RBIs, six runs, two doubles, seven walks, a .353 on-base percentage and a .765 OPS.
That was enough to earn another shot.
“Nick earned a roster spot out of spring training and contributed greatly over the first three weeks of the season,” Ducks Manager Lew Ford said. “We wish him the best of luck as he returns to the Mets organization.”
“It’s been great,” Roselli told Greater Long Island before his contract was purchased. “Having friends and family be able to come to all the games is huge. I really haven’t been home for a summer in like five or six years, so it’s nice to be back.”
Roselli was drafted by the Mets in the 11th round of the 2024 MLB Draft and spent two seasons between the Brooklyn Cyclones and St. Lucie Mets.
“It was a dream come true,” Roselli said. “One of my life goals was to get drafted. It took a lot of hard work and a lot of people were able to help me get to that point.”
Over two seasons in the Mets system, Roselli hit .211 with nine home runs and 56 RBIs. By his own admission, last season did not meet his expectations.
So he went to work.
“I worked my a— off working out every morning and doing all my baseball work later on in the day,” Roselli said. “I worked on refining my approach and everything like that. I ended up going back to spring training and I thought I had a good spring training.”
But midway through spring training, Roselli said he felt like he was “on the backburner.”
Then came April 1.
“I don’t think there was anything I could have done,” Roselli said. “It was out of my control, especially because I did good in spring training. I would be honest if I sucked, as I’m straight up like that. I felt like they pulled the trigger a little bit too early and I took that a little personal.”
Roselli embraced his time with the Ducks, who opened a series Tuesday night against the Gastonia Ghost Peppers at Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip.
“The team is great,” Roselli said. “All the guys mesh really well. We all build off of each other, which is nice.”
He also got a front-row seat to “Trevor Bauer Mania,” with the former Cy Young Award winner signing with Long Island as he looks to return to the majors.
“Just being around him in the clubhouse and listening to him talk to the other pitchers is great,” Roselli said. “I think he brings a lot of knowledge to the team that’s going to benefit not only our pitchers but the team as a whole. He has a big presence on the team.”
For Roselli, playing for the Ducks was a full-circle moment.
He grew up going to Ducks games and still remembers shagging batting practice with his Little League team.
“I remember just standing in the outfield trying to catch a fly ball,” Roselli said. “I remember one of the players gave me his broken bat during another game. Those are the two moments I remember.”
Roselli is part of a deep Long Island baseball pipeline, one he says is fueled by competition and connection.
“I think there’s definitely a lot of competition on Long Island and a lot of great players,” Roselli said. “Everyone knows about each other. A key to that is Axcess Baseball, where everyone knows everyone through Instagram and Twitter.”
At Division Avenue, Roselli played for head coach Tom Tuttle, assistant coach Steve Robbins and former longtime head coach Ray Weidein.
“They are probably the best high school coaches on Long Island without doubt,” Roselli said. “Obviously, I’m a little biased. They prepared me very well for college. Growing up, I think they built a culture with Division baseball that everyone, whether you were in elementary school or middle school, you always dreamed of playing for Division and putting on that jersey.”
Roselli went on to play at Binghamton University, where he said the coaches and facilities helped him develop.
When he came home during college breaks, he also played in the One Bounce Stickball League with friends, competing in tournaments and making some money along the way.
“It’s a good way for me and my friends to make some income during the college breaks,” Roselli said. “I think Johnnie Larosa creates a good environment for everyone to come out and play for money. I think, in a way, it definitely helps with baseball.”
The Ducks and the Atlantic League have long served as a pathway back to affiliated baseball.
For Roselli, that path started with a homecoming and ended with a second chance from the team that let him go.
Top: Nick Roselli (#9) at bat for the Long Island Ducks during the 2026 season. (Photo credit: Long Island Ducks)
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