Update (4:26 PM EDT): Céspedes is opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19-related reasons, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen said on Sunday. Bradford William Davis of the New York Daily News was among those to report the announcement.
Van Wagenen said Céspedes packed his stuff and left the hotel without informing anyone. Céspedes’ agent at Roc Nation informed the team in the middle of Sunday’s game that his client was opting out of the season.
Céspedes is in the final year of his four-year, $110 million contract, so this is likely the end of his tenure with the Mets. He’ll be a free agent going into the 2021 season.
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Update (2:32 PM EDT): Per DiComo, the Mets say they have no reason to believe Céspedes’ safety is at risk. How they can know that, with having been unable to contact him, is beyond me, but that’s the word from the team.
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As MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports, the Mets announced that OF/DH Yoenis Céspedes did not show up to Truist Park in Atlanta for Sunday afternoon’s game against the Braves. The Mets’ attempts to contact him “have been unsuccessful.”
First and foremost, we hope that Céspedes is safe and healthy.
The Mets’ announcement seems like bad timing as it invites speculation about Céspedes that isn’t needed in this moment. Some have jumped to the conclusion that the two-time All-Star is up to no good, referencing last year when he was injured by a wild boar.
In 2017, Matt Harvey no-showed at Citi Field. The Mets sent security personnel to check on the right-hander, who had supposedly been out partying the prior night. Presumably, the Mets have sent some people on a search for Céspedes Sunday afternoon. Hopefully they did that before releasing their statement.
J.D. Davis is in the cleanup spot against Braves starter Kyle Wright. Dominic Smith is in left field and David Peterson is on the hill for the Mets.
The Mets should pass along an update later today, ideally with the best possible news.
