Cecchini was released by the Diamondbacks on Friday, JJ Cooper of Baseball America reports.
The 26-year-old second baseman was once a prospect of note in the Mets' system and joined Arizona on a minors pact this past offseason. He hasn't played in the majors since 2017.
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Diamondbacks' Gavin Cecchini: Reaches MiLB deal with Arizona
Rotowire
Cecchini signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Monday.
Arizona has already assigned Cecchini to Triple-A Reno, so it doesn't sound like he'll get the opportunity to compete for a bench role with the big club in spring training. Once a prospect of some repute while coming up through the Mets' farm system, the 26-year-old represents little more than organizational infield depth at this stage of his career. He hasn't appeared in the majors since 2017 and slashed just .248/.305/.344 in the minors last season, with most of his action coming at the Double-A level.
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Mets' Gavin Cecchini: Assigned to minors
Rotowire
Cecchini cleared waivers Friday and was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.
Cecchini was designated for assignment earlier in the week when the Mets signed Justin Wilson. His .294/.342/.468 line in 30 games for Triple-A Las Vegas last season was evidently not enough for another team to take a chance on him.
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Mets' Gavin Cecchini: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Cecchini was designated for assignment by the Mets on Monday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.
The 2012 first-round pick was replaced on the 40-man roster by reliever Justin Wilson. Cecchini spent most of 2018 with Triple-A Las Vegas, hitting .294/.342/.468. The 25-year-old owns a lackluster .217/.270/.301 triple-slash across parts of two big-league campaigns (36 games).
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Mets' Gavin Cecchini: Sidelined with foot injury
Rotowire
Cecchini hasn't played in any games for Triple-A Las Vegas since May 9 due to a foot injury, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Cecchini was optioned to Las Vegas out of spring training due to the Mets' ample infield depth, but he likely would have received the call to the big leagues at some point in the last month if he had been healthy. With Wilmer Flores (back) and T.J. Rivera (elbow) both having spent time on the disabled list and Jose Reyes batting a woeful .149/.213/.203 on the season, Luis Guillorme has settled in as the primary utility infield for the Mets over the last few weeks. While Guillorme boasts a capable glove, his .450 OPS barely amounts to an upgrade over Reyes'. As such, Cecchini -- a career .283/.348/.398 hitter in the minors -- would seemingly represent an appealing reserve option for the big club, though it's uncertain when he'll be healthy enough to contribute.
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Mets' Gavin Cecchini: Sent to minors
Rotowire
Cecchini was optioned to the Mets' minor-league camp Tuesday.
Cecchini was never likely to break camp with the Mets, who have Amed Rosario, Asdrubal Cabrera, Wilmer Flores and Jose Reyes as middle infielders in front of him. He'll return to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he's sat for most of the last two years, and wait for an injury. He hit .267/.329/.380 with just six home runs in 110 games at that level last season, so he doesn't look like he'll be much of a fantasy asset when he does eventually make it back to the big leagues.
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Mets' Gavin Cecchini: Hits second spring homer Friday
Rotowire
Cecchini hit a solo home run in his only at-bat during Friday's split-squad game against the Nationals.
While there doesn't appear to be room for Cecchini on a big-league roster that already features Asdrubal Cabrera, Jose Reyes and Wilmer Flores, the 24-year-old is doing his best to force the Mets to make a tough decision, collecting four hits -- including two homers and a double -- in his first seven spring at-bats while also walking twice. If Cecchini keeps raking, it could encourage the front office to pull the trigger on a trade to clear space for him.
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Mets' Gavin Cecchini: Adds muscle over offseason
Rotowire
Cecchini added 15 pounds of muscle over the offseason with the hope of introducing more power into his game, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
After hitting just six homers at Triple-A Las Vegas last season, Cecchini got a personal nutritionist and attempted to eat healthier over the season. According to reports, the young infielder's weight dropped as low as 180 pounds last season due to what he termed as "lack of appetite," but it seems like he has an entirely new approach to eating that could help him maintain his power throughout the entire course of the season. Offseason adjustments aside, it seems like he's on the outside of the active roster looking in to start the season, especially after the Mets opted to retain Jose Reyes and signed Todd Frazier. That said, Cecchini has two full seasons of Triple-A action under his belt, so he'll likely be in the majors at some point in 2018 even if he doesn't crack the Opening Day roster.
Cecchini was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.
With a slew of injuries hitting New York's infield -- Jose Reyes (oblique) and Wilmer Flores (ribs) -- Cecchini will rejoin the big-league club to provide some more depth up the middle. In five appearances with the Mets this season, the 23-year-old has gone 4-for-14 with one home run and two RBI, and has been seeing the ball tremendously well at the Triple-A level as of late. Throughout the last 10 games for Las Vegas, Cecchini is slashing .349/.429/.512 from the plate.
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Mets' Gavin Cecchini: Heads back to minors
Rotowire
Cecchini was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
Cecchini wasn't in line to see everyday at-bats with Asdrubal Cabrera (thumb) returning from the disabled list, so the Mets decided to send him back to Las Vegas. The 23-year-old held his own during a five-game stretch with the big club, slashing .286/.286/.500 with one homer in 14 at-bats, so he could be back before the end of the season should another opportunity arise.
Mets' Gavin Cecchini: Hits first big-league home run Monday
Rotowire
Cecchini went 1-for-3 with his first career home run in a loss to the Dodgers on Monday.
The most impressive thing about his fifth-inning blast was that it came with two strikes against superstar lefty Clayton Kershaw. This was also his first start in the majors, and although T.J. Rivera is expected to get most of the reps at the keystone with Neil Walker (hamstring) out, Cecchini could push him for playing time with more performances like this -- and simultaneously prove his worth in the organization with top prospect Amed Rosario knocking on the door to New York.
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Mets' Gavin Cecchini: Heading to bigs
Rotowire
Cecchini was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.
With Neil Walker (hamstring) expected to miss several weeks with a partially torn hamstring, the infield prospect will head to the big leagues to plug the holes in the Mets' injury-riddled infield. Cecchini is having a bit of a down year with the 51s, as he's hitting just .249 with three home runs and 17 RBI. Despite Cecchini's promotion, T.J. Rivera will get the first crack at starting second base duties. Neither may be long for semi-regular duty, as Amed Rosario appears to be ready at Triple-A, and the Mets are getting a lot of public pressure to promote their top prospect.
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Mets' Gavin Cecchini: Will be called up Monday
Rotowire
Cecchini will be recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.
This will mark Cecchini's second stint with the big-league club, as the 2012 first-rounder went 2-for-6 with two doubles and two RBI in four games with the Mets last season. The 23-year-old currently owns a .254/.316/.369 triple slash with nine RBI and is 3-for-3 in steal attempts through 30 games with Las Vegas. A corresponding roster move should be announced once the move is official, with the likeliest transactions to be Adam Wilk (who was recalled for Sunday's spot start) getting demoted or Asdrubal Cabrera (thumb) getting placed on the disabled list to clear room.
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Mets' Gavin Cecchini: Slated for time at SS, 3B this season
Rotowire
Cecchini is expected to log playing time at shortstop every 10-to-12 days and possibly even third base this season, Betsy Helfand of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
The Mets' Triple-A affiliate appears to be putting a large focus on versatility this season, so even a top prospect like Cecchini will get looks at other positions. The 23-year-old will still likely be brought up as a second baseman with fellow prospect Amed Rosario slated to man shortstop in the future, but the versatility certainly won't hurt as Cecchini looks to land a job with the Mets later in the season.
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Mets' Gavin Cecchini: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Cecchini was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.
Cecchini was in the conversation for a utility role with the Mets, but he and Matt Reynolds, who was also cut Wednesday, were always believed to be firmly behind Wilmer Flores and T.J. Rivera for those duties. The 23-year-old will now prep for a second straight season at Las Vegas, where he slashed .325/.390/.448 in 2016.
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Mets' Gavin Cecchini: Drives in two Saturday
Rotowire
Cecchini went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.
He's been getting a long look at second base through camp so far, and with Neil Walker's contract talks stalled, another big season at Triple-A Las Vegas could make Cecchini a strong option to take over the keystone for the Mets in 2018. His 2017 fantasy value will depend on injuries opening up a spot in the big league infield, however.
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Mets' Gavin Cecchini: Homers in spring opener
Rotowire
Cecchini got the start at second base in the Mets' Grapefruit League opener Friday against the Red Sox and went 1-for-2 with a solo home run.
The 23-year-old has posted strong offensive numbers in the high minors over the last two seasons, but would still need a lot to go his way this spring to break camp on the Mets' 25-man roster. Cecchini will likely begin the season back at Triple-A Las Vegas to continue working on his defense, but could be among the first call-ups when injuries hit the team's infield.
