The Mets activated the receiver Omar Narvaez removed from the injured list and named Thomas Nido for assignment.
SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino reported earlier on Monday that DFA-ing Nido was the team’s expected move with the return of Narvaez.
Narvaez returns to the big leagues after missing two months with a sprained left calf he suffered in the first week of the season. The eight-year MLB veteran appeared in just five games in his first season with the Mets and had four hits and two RBIs in his first 14 at-bats.
The Mets will now go with a captivating tandem of Narvaez, an All-Star with Milwaukee in 2021, and 21 Francisco Alvarez. The rookie might also see time in the roster as a DH.
Nido, after returning from a stint on the IL for dry eye syndrome the last week of May, had just one of five hits at bat with two strikeouts in the middle of a tough season for the lightweight 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 has never appeared in more than 100 games in a single season as the team’s second receiver. His batting has never been his strong suit, but this season his lack of production at the plate and the rise of Alvarez have made him the victim of a numbers game.
He made 61 plate appearances in 22 games this campaign and had just seven hits and no extra hits. Nido had just one RBI and had two walks with 18 strikeouts. It was slashing .125/.153/.125 for a .278 OPS and -21 OPS+ (100 is the average).
The Mets have until Saturday to trade or waive Nido. He was in the first year of a two-year, $3.7 million contract.
Since Narvaez’s injury, the Mets have been looking for a way to inject more offense into the lineup. The Mets called Gary Sanchez – who signed a minor league contract in early May – adding to the competition at catcher. But the former Yankee only played three games for the club and had one hit in six at bats before his release. Sanchez was picked up by San Diego and he had five hits (including two home runs) and four RBIs in his first six games with the Padres.
During his time at Queens, Nido played in 274 games between 2017 and 2023 posting a career .213/.249/.308 with 55 OPS+ and hit 13 homers and had 74 RBIs.
In three playoff games with the Mets last season, Nido had one hit in eight at-bats while striking out four and getting into a double play.