NEW YORK — The Mets intend to see how potent Gary Sánchez‘s bat still is.
The team has informed Sánchez that it intends to add him to its active roster in time for Friday’s series opener against the Guardians, a source told MLB.com. The team has not announced the move, but the eight-year veteran figures to split reps at catcher with rookie Francisco Álvarez, and at designated hitter with a number of others.
It’s a low-risk, potentially high-reward gamble for a team that has struggled with its power production in recent weeks. When Sánchez became a free agent earlier this month, the Mets snapped him up on a Minor League deal, under the condition that he could opt out of his contract if the team did not add him to its roster by May 19. With that deadline looming, the Mets decided Thursday to make the move.
In Sánchez, they are adding a 30-year-old two-time All-Star who has struggled to the tune of a .195/.287/.394 slash line over the past three seasons for the Yankees and Twins. Sánchez is four years removed from his most recent All-Star season, in which he clubbed 34 homers with an .841 OPS for the Yankees.
Since joining Triple-A Syracuse, Sánchez has batted .318 with a 1.077 OPS in seven games, splitting time between catcher and DH.
The Mets now intend to see if he can replicate that sort of production at the highest level. In the short term, Sánchez should find a decent share of opportunities behind the plate, with both Omar Narváez (strained left calf) and Tomás Nido (dry eye syndrome) on the injured list. By the time Narváez and Nido return over the next two to three weeks, the team should have a better handle on what Sánchez can provide.
Sánchez is also likely to siphon DH at-bats away from Daniel Vogelbach, Tommy Pham, Mark Canha and Mark Vientos. A right-handed hitter, he features reverse platoon splits for his career.
