Lavender walked one and struck out one in 1.1 scoreless innings Tuesday to record his first career hold in a win over the Guardians.
Making his big-league debut, the 26-year-old southpaw got the final out of the seventh inning with the Mets leading 5-2, and then stayed in for the eighth after his team produced an insurance run. Lavender could get a long look as a high-leverage option with New York having dealt veteran southpaws A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley at the trade deadline, with fellow rookie Jefry Yan being his main competition for the job of top left-handed setup man for closer Devin Williams.