BOSTON — The Mets’ search for catching depth had them close to reaching agreement on a minor league contract with free agent Bruce Maxwell on Tuesday.
An industry source confirmed that Maxwell, who last played in the major leagues for Oakland in 2018, needed to pass a physical and receive coronavirus intake testing before his deal became official.
Maxwell, who is African-American, was the first MLB player to kneel during the national anthem, in September 2017, to protest racial injustice. He later said his kneeling cost him a job in the sport.
In October 2017 he was arrested on a felony aggravated assault charge for pointing a firearm at the head of a female food delivery driver at his home. Maxwell pleaded to a lesser charge and was sentenced to probation and community service.
Maxwell, 28, posted a .182/.207/.309 slash line in his final season with Oakland.
The Mets are carrying catchers Wilson Ramos, Tomas Nido and Rene Rivera on the 30-man roster.
Robinson Cano had a 2-for-3 performance with an RBI for his first real offensive contribution of the season. The veteran second baseman had entered play only 1-for-12 (.083) after missing a week of camp for an undisclosed personal matter.
“It was just, what, four games and I knew I had been chasing a couple of pitches out of the zone,” Cano said after the Mets beat the Red Sox 8-3. “But I always start the season like that. I always start slow the first three, four or five games and [this] was something I knew was going to come.”
Cano was asked about the sense of urgency in a 60-game season.
“It’s a short season,” he said. “But you have got to grind every day.”
Rookie Andres Gimenez has entered games as a late-inning defensive replacement at second base and could be considered soon for a start at the position, according to Rojas. But the manager said he could also insert Gimenez at shortstop to get him a start.
“[Gimenez] has looked great, his range has been unbelievable and he looks balanced at the plate,” Rojas said. “Hopefully we can get him in there soon to start a game and play the whole game.”
Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz, who are scheduled to start the next two games for the Mets at Citi Field against the Red Sox, remained in New York to avoid the unnecessary travel, according to Rojas.
Tyler Bashlor was designated for assignment to create roster space for David Peterson. The Mets also added pitchers Pedro Payano and Yefry Ramirez to their 60-man player pool.
