The New York Mets made a flurry of roster moves in the wake of injuries and inconsistency, including Michael Conforto heading to the IL.
The New York Mets are going to look a bit different than they did in their last series against the Miami Marlins.
The team confirmed a series of roster moves on Friday. Joining the team will be outfielder Carlos Gomez and right-handed pitcher Paul Sewald. A pair of outfielders are the casualties. Michael Conforto (concussion) was sent to the seven-day injured list and Keon Broxton was designated for assignment.
We’ve selected the contract of outfielder Carlos Gómez from Syracuse and recalled RHP Paul Sewald from Syracuse (AAA). Outfielder Keon Broxton has been designated for assignment and we’ve placed outfielder Michael Conforto on the 7-Day Injured List, due to a concussion. pic.twitter.com/m57sF09r4S
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 17, 2019
Conforto’s injury was the result of a fifth-inning collision with second baseman Robinson Cano during a pop-up in Thursday’s 7-6 loss in Washington. He currently ranks second on the team with nine home runs. The latest was a three-run blast in the third inning that helped erase a 4-0 Nationals lead.
“He hit the ground hard,” manager Mickey Callaway said, per ESPN. “He hit his head on Cano’s shoulder, he hit the ground. He was kind of dazed. We knew right away we were going to have to get him out of there.”
He was replaced in the lineup by Broxton, who would go 0-for-3 with a bases-loaded strikeout that ended the game. Broxton played 34 games with the Mets, batting .143 with two runs batted in. He began the year with hits in four of his first nine at-bats, but was mired in a 1-for-25 streak. The outfielder publicly questioned the Mets’ strategy for him after Thursday’s loss.
“From the start of the season, I’ve been surprised at why I haven’t been playing as much and why I haven’t got as many opportunities,” Broxton said, per the New York Post. “It’s not like I started out bad. It’s just, it is what it is.”
Gomez, 33, returns to the team that provided him with his major league start. He signed with the Mets as a 16-year-old international free agent and made his professional debut five years later. He would go on to bat .232 with two home runs and 12 RBI’s during his lone season with the Mets.
In the ensuing offseason, he was dealt to the Minnesota Twins in the trade that brought Johan Santana to Queens. Gomez would reach a pair of All-Star Games in 2013 and 2014 as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Mets signed him to a minor league deal in March. He was batting .270 with six home runs and 22 RBI in Syracuse.
Sewald likely makes a return to New York. This marks his third season with the Mets, and he appeared in three games with the MLB squad before he was sent to Syracuse in April. He allowed two runs over five innings of relief in three appearances.
