Omar Narvaez’s struggles behind the plate finally earned him a pink slip on Friday.
The veteran catcher was designated for assignment for the Mets following two brutal months in which he failed to contribute offensively and defensively.
To fill the spot, the Mets acquired catcher Luis Torrens from the Yankees for cash considerations and added him to the major league roster.
The Yankees traded catcher Luis Torrens to the Mets in return for $100,000. Getty ImagesTorrens, 28, has played parts of six seasons in the major leagues with the Padres, Mariners and Cubs.
In recent weeks Narvaez became a backup to Tomas Nido, who was initially splitting time at the position with Narvaez after Francisco Alvarez underwent surgery to repair a torn left thumb ligament.
Narvaez, who is still owed $4.6 million for this season, had an ugly .376 OPS and threw out only 1-of-34 runners attempting to steal against him.
“It wasn’t because of the lack of trying or lack of work,” manager Carlos Mendoza said before the Mets beat the Diamondbacks, 10-9, at Citi Field. “He gave everything he had and it just didn’t work out.”
Torrens was in the Yankees’ minor league system during Mendoza’s tenure with the organization. Mendoza added that Torrens is well regarded for his framing skills. Nido is expected to remain the starter at catcher until Alvarez returns.
The Mets designated veteran catcher Omar Narvaez for assignment. Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY SportsAlvarez began a minor league rehab stint on Thursday with Double-A Binghamton and will potentially return to the Mets lineup by mid-June.
Christian Scott was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse as the Mets plan to move away from a six-man rotation for at least the next two weeks.
Dedniel Nunez was recalled to give the Mets an additional reliever.
The rookie Scott has pitched to a 3.90 ERA in five starts for the Mets.
“He totally did a great job and he’ll be back,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “This is where we are in the season and we have off days [upcoming], but he had a very successful first stint in the major leagues.”
Darryl Strawberry’s No. 18 will be retired during a pregame ceremony on Saturday. Fans are asked to be in their seats by 3:30 p.m. for the ceremony.
