The Mets have activated catcher Omar Narvaez off the injured list and designated Tomas Nido for assignment.
SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino reported earlier on Monday that DFA-ing Nido was the team’s expected move with Narvaez returning.
Narvaez returns to the big leagues after missing two months with a left calf strain he sustained in the first week of the season. The eight-year MLB veteran appeared in just five games of his debut season with the Mets and had four hits and two RBI in his first 14 at-bats.
The Mets will now go with a catching tandem of Narvaez, an All-Star with Milwaukee in 2021, and 21-year-old Francisco Alvarez. The rookie could also see time in the lineup as the DH.
Nido, after returning from a stint on the IL for dry eye syndrome in the last week of May, had just one hit in five at-bats with two strikeouts amid a tough season for the light-hitting backstop.
The move likely spells the end of Nido’s time with the club after playing all seven seasons of his big league career in New York. The 29-year-old never appeared in more than 100 games in a single season as the team’s second catcher. His batting was never his strong suit, but this season his lack of production at the plate and the ascension of Alvarez made him the victim of a numbers game.
He made 61 plate appearances over 22 games this campaign and managed just seven hits and zero extra-base hits. Nido tallied just one RBI and had two walks with 18 strikeouts. He was slashing .125/.153/.125 for a .278 OPS and a -21 OPS+ (100 is average).
The Mets have until Saturday to trade or put Nido on waivers. He was in the first year of a two-year, $3.7 million contract.
Since Narvaez’s injury, the Mets had been looking for a way to inject more offense into the lineup. The Mets called up Gary Sanchez – who had been signed to a minor league deal in early May – adding to the competition at the catcher position. But the former Yankee played only three games with the club and had one hit in six at-bats before his release. Sanchez was snatched up by San Diego and he has gone on to have five hits (including two home runs) and four RBI in his first six games with the Padres.
During his time in Queens, Nido appeared in 274 games between 2017-2023, posting a career.213/.249/.308 slashline with a 55 OPS+ and hit 13 home runs and tallied 74 RBI.
In three postseason games with the Mets last season, Nido had one hit in eight at-bats while striking out four times and grounding into a double play.