The Mets released Lee on Sunday.
Lee hasn't hit much at all in the minors over the last two seasons and was removed from the 40-man roster this offseason following an investigation into alleged domestic violence incident. The outfielder will turn 25 next month and will look to catch on in another organization.
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Mets' Khalil Lee: Plan in place
Rotowire
Lee will report to minor-league camp March 2, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
Lee was originally scheduled to report to the major-league clubhouse at some point this week, but instead the outfielder will not be in camp until the Triple-A portion of the season. He was recently designated for assignment and outrighted off the 40-man roster, and he's currently undergoing investigation into allegations that he physically and verbally abused his ex-girlfriend.
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Mets' Khalil Lee: Sent outright to Triple-A
Rotowire
Lee was outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse by the Mets on Friday.
The outfielder was designated for assignment on Monday after the Mets claimed Sam Coonrod off waivers from the Phillies. Lee is currently under investigation stemming from a domestic violence accusation. He appeared in two games for the Mets in 2022, and posted a .699 OPS in 100 games with Syracuse last year.
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Mets' Khalil Lee: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Lee was designated for assignment on Monday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Lee is removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Sam Coonrod after Coonrod was claimed off waivers from the Phillies. The outfielder is currently under investigation from a lawsuit that accuses him of domestic violence. He made just two appearances with the Mets in 2022 while going 1-for-2, and he registered a .699 OPS with 10 homers and 14 stolen bases in 100 games with Triple-A Syracuse.
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Mets' Khalil Lee: Sent down Wednesday
Rotowire
Lee was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Lee spent a week with the major-league club but appeared in just two games and went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run. The 23-year-old should see more consistent playing time in the minors, while right-hander Yoan Lopez was recalled Wednesday.
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Mets' Khalil Lee: Promoted Wednesday
Rotowire
Lee was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.
Lee has a .221/.336/.393 slash line over 34 games for Syracuse this season, and he'll now receive his first look in the majors of 2022. The 23-year-old will provide outfield depth while Starling Marte, who hopes to avoid the injured list, nurses a quadriceps injury.
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Mets' Khalil Lee: Heads to minors camp
Rotowire
Lee was optioned to minor-league camp Monday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Lee could theoretically have been pushing for an Opening Day roster spot, as he played 11 major-league games last season, but the Mets' offseason additions meant he was a long shot at best. He seemingly has little to prove at the Triple-A level, however, having hit .274/.451/.500 across 102 games last season, so he'll have a good shot at getting the call whenever an outfielder ahead of him on the depth chart gets injured.
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Mets' Khalil Lee: Rejoins big club
Rotowire
The Mets recalled Lee from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Lee will return to New York for the first time since late May, when the big club was down multiple outfielders due to injuries. The Mets will head into September will all of their key outfielders is optimal health, so Lee isn't likely to see many opportunities in the final month of the season.
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Mets' Khalil Lee: Heads back to Syracuse
Rotowire
The Mets optioned Lee to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday.
New York will swap Lee off its active roster in favor of Kevin Pillar (nose), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. Lee struggled mightily during his first call-up to the big leagues, which was accelerated by the Mets' numerous injuries in the outfield. The 22-year-old went 1-for-18 with 13 strikeouts during his two-week stint with the big club.
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Mets' Khalil Lee: Sitting in third straight
Rotowire
Lee is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.
Lee will be on the bench for the third straight game after going 1-for-17 with 12 strikeouts since being called up from Triple-A Syracuse on May 17. The fact that Lee can't get regular at-bats even with the Mets' myriad injuries would seem to suggest the organization doesn't believe he's MLB-ready.
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Mets' Khalil Lee: Recalled by Mets
Rotowire
Lee was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Monday.
Lee will rejoin the major-league roster after Michael Conforto (hamstring) and Jeff McNeil (hamstring) were placed on the injured list Monday. While Kevin Pillar and Dominic Smith should be in line to fill two of the regular roles in the outfield, Lee could be the top candidate for playing time in the third spot, while Johneshwy Fargas should be available as a depth option.
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Mets' Khalil Lee: Call-up forthcoming
Rotowire
The Mets are expected to promote Lee from Triple-A Syracuse prior to Monday's series opener in Atlanta, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.
With two everyday players in Michael Conforto (hamstring) and Jeff McNeil (hamstring) headed to the 10-day injured list, New York will summon Lee and Johneshwy Fargas from Syracuse to help restore some depth in the outfield. Kevin Pillar and Dominic Smith should be locked into regular roles in two of the outfield spots in the short term, and Lee looks like the top candidate to fill the remaining opening in the everyday lineup. The 22-year-old has appeared in six games thus far for Syracuse, going 4-for-16 with a 5:6 BB:K while going 1-for-3 on stolen-base attempts.
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Mets' Khalil Lee: Recalled by Mets
Rotowire
Lee was recalled by the Mets on Wednesday, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
Lee was sent to Triple-A Syracuse ahead of the regular season and went 4-for-16 with three runs, two RBI and a stolen base to begin the minor-league campaign. Kevin Pillar will likely serve as the primary center fielder while Brandon Nimmo (hand) and Albert Almora (shoulder) are on the injured list, but Lee will be available to make his major-league debut in the near future.
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Mets' Khalil Lee: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Lee was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday.
Lee went hitless with nine strikeouts and one walk in 15 at-bats this spring. He will continue working on improving his hit tool in Triple-A while attempting to find a way to tap into his above-average raw power in games more regularly.
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Mets' Khalil Lee: Traded to Mets
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Lee was acquired by the Mets on Wednesday as part of a three-team trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to the Royals and Franchy Cordero to the Red Sox, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The 22-year-old spent 2020 at the Royals' alternate training site and was added to the 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, and he'll now continue his career with the Red Sox. Lee had a .264/.363/.372 slash line with eight homers, 21 doubles and a 28.2 percent strikeout rate at the Double-A level in 2019. There isn't an immediate path to playing time on the big-league club, but he could still make his MLB debut this season.
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Royals' Khalil Lee: Added to 40-man roster
Rotowire
Lee's contract was selected by the Royals on Friday.
In a system flush with pitching prospects, Lee is one of the better hitting prospects with any upper-level experience, so he was always going to get protected from the Rule 5 draft. He has the power and speed to be a fantasy asset some day, but he needs to increase his launch angle and improve his approach.
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Royals' Khalil Lee: Added to 60-man pool
Rotowire
Lee will be a part of the Royals' 60-man player pool this season, Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports.
Lee had a realistic chance of getting a late-season promotion to the majors in 2020 under normal circumstances, and he could still end up making his big-league debut this year. However, he is unlikely to take on an overly prominent role until at least 2021. Lee has very impressive tools, but he logged a groundball rate over 59 percent last year at Double-A, so a swing change would serve him well.
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Royals' Khalil Lee: Untapped power
Rotowire
The Royals believe Lee has more raw power than he has shown in games thus far, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports. "He stayed with the plan (in spring training). He took some really good swings," assistant general manager J.J. Picollo said. "And I think that, as we've talked about before, there's more power in there that will show up in games."
Picollo didn't spell it out, but the team would obviously like to see Lee cut down on the 59.3 percent groundball rate he registered last year at Double-A. Despite a .182 average with one home run and a 12:2 K:BB in 35 plate appearances, Lee apparently had some great batting practice sessions, hitting line drives to all fields while impressing the field staff with his maturity. He will likely open the year at Triple-A, but the shortened season could delay his big-league debut until 2021.
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Royals' Khalil Lee: Healthy to start camp
Rotowire
Lee is healthy to start spring training after breaking his hand in winter ball, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
Lee will get some time this spring to showcase his skills at big-league camp, though he's unlikely to be considered for a spot on the Opening Day roster as he's yet to reach Triple-A. He hit a solid .264/.363/.372 in 129 games for Double-A Northwest Arkansas last season while stealing 53 bases, though that came with a 28.2 percent strikeout rate, too high for a player without much power.
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Royals' Khalil Lee: Suffers broken hand
Rotowire
Lee suffered a broken right hand while playing winter ball in Puerto Rico.
A borderline top-100 prospect, Lee hit .222 with one home run and five strikeouts in five games for Mayaguez. He should be healthy for the start of the season but may be limited initially in spring training.
