Jonathan

Arauz

The deal presumably also includes an invitation to spring training where Araúz will compete for a spot on Los Angeles’ season-opening roster as a reserve infielder. The 25-year-old got into 27 contests this past season for the Mets following their mid-season collapse, posting a lackluster .491 OPS with three homers in 66 plate appearances. He possesses a ton of defensive versatility, and figures to open the 2024 campaign at Triple-A Oklahoma City in a super utility role as extra organizational depth.

They were among six players that were put on waivers by the Mets on Friday. Anthony Kay was claimed by the Athletics, the others were sent outright to Triple-A Syracuse and refused those assignments — opting instead to test the open market. Ortega had a disappointing season for the Mets, hitting just .219/.341/.272 with one home run in 136 plate appearances.

No surprises here. All six players have the ability to elect free agency, if they pass through waivers unclaimed. Ortega, 32, has his backers, but there’s no reason to keep him on the 40-man roster. He hit .219/.341/.272 with one homer in 136 plate appearances for the Mets.

Araúz heads back to the minors with defensive specialist Luis Guillorme returning from a lengthy stint on the injured list.

Vientos was set to miss his second straight contest on Thursday after hurting his left wrist earlier this week on a swing. The 23-year-old slugging prospect will get an extended break to put the issue behind him. It’ll most likely be Jonathan Araúz at the hot corner in his absence.

No surprise here after Lindor was scratched from New York’s lineup for Friday’s showdown due to right side soreness. The 29-year-old fantasy superstar is slated to undergo an MRI on Saturday to determine whether he’ll require a trip to the injured list. The hope here is that he’s not dealing with an oblique issue, which could keep him sidelined for an extended period. It’ll be Jonathan Araúz filling in at shortstop in his absence.

The 25-year-old was just sent down to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday after Starling Marte returned from the injured list — but the two will swap places again on Monday with Marte heading back to the IL with a groin issue. He’ll add depth and versatility to the Mets’ bench.

Araúz has been shipped back to the minors to make room for Starling Marte to return to New York’s lineup for Friday’s series opener against the Orioles.

This is the third straight game Nimmo will miss with his quad issue. Although, the team continues to call him day-to-day, there is some concern they will decide to be cautious and put him on the IL with nothing much to play for this season. The 30-year-old is hitting .256/.353/.431 on the season with 15 home runs and 61 runs scored in 103 games. Rafael Ortega will make his third straight start in Nimmo’s place while Jonathan Arauz starts at 2B with Jeff McNeil moving to the outfield.

Araúz is at second base and batting seventh on Wednesday night against the Royals in his Mets debut. The 24-year-old infielder has posted a .773 OPS with 14 homers and two steals in 395 plate appearances over 95 games this season for Triple-A Syracuse. He’s appeared in 68 games in the majors with the Red Sox and Orioles since 2020.