The New York Mets are continuing to shake up their roster following a disastrous month. On Friday, New York turned over three roster spots by optioning third baseman Brett Baty and right-hander Christian Scott to Triple-A Syracuse; designating veteran catcher Omar Narváez for assignment; and replacing that trio with two internal promotions (reliever Dedniel Núñez and infielder Jose Iglesias) and outside acquisition catcher Luis Torrens, obtained from the New York Yankees. Those moves come a day after the Mets designated reliever Jorge López for assignment following an unusual sequence that began with an ejection, escalated to him throwing his glove into the stands, and culminated in a post-game interview session where he expressed no remorse for his acts.
Baty, 24, is a former first-round pick and top prospect who has yet to establish himself at the big-league level in a meaningful way. In 49 games this season, he's hit .225/.304/.325 (86 OPS+) with four home runs and 26 more strikeouts than walks. Baty's presence on the roster became unnecessary with the emergence of Mark Vientos, who has posted a 174 OPS+ with three home runs over 14 games. The Mets have veterans Pete Alonso and J.D. Martinez occupying first base and designated hitter, leaving the minors as the best vehicle for Baty to get the steady at-bats he needs.
Scott, 25 in a matter of weeks, turned in another solid outing on Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In five starts this season, he's compiled a 3.90 ERA (98 ERA+) and a 4.17 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Scott is already up over 50 innings this season between the majors and minors, which is notable because he's never thrown more than 87 innings in a single campaign. Farming out Scott for a time is one method of controlling his workload without impacting the big-league pitching staff. The Mets, who have recently employed a six-man rotation, have a wealth of upcoming off days owed to their forthcoming trip to London, where they'll play two games against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Narváez, 32, continued to disappoint in the second of a two-year deal. He'll conclude his Mets career having batted .192/.254/.259 (46 OPS+) in 77 games.
As for the additions: Núñez, 28, has accumulated a 3.24 ERA (122 ERA+) in five appearances this season; Iglesias, 34, is a former All-Star who gives the Mets a defensive-minded utility infielder; and Torrens, 28, has a career 80 OPS+ over parts of six big-league seasons.
The Mets, 23-33 on the year, entered Friday 15 1/2 games back in the National League East and 5 1/2 back in the wild-card race.
