New Met José Iglesias feels 'like a rookie' in MLB return
NEW YORK -- José Iglesias had appeared in 1,096 major league games for six organizations across 11 seasons before Friday. The slick-fielding shortstop is fully pensioned, having accrued 10 seasons of service time. He's a bona fide veteran. But he felt like he was about to make his big league debut all over again standing in the Mets' clubhouse Friday afternoon hours before playing in his first major league game in nearly two years.
"I feel like a rookie right now," said Iglesias, who marked his debut by going 1-for-4 as the Mets beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-9.
Iglesias was called up from Triple-A Syracuse to join the Mets on Friday as their whirlwind week continued with a flurry of roster moves. The club, in the midst of playing 26 games in 27 days, executed six player transactions. In came Iglesias, reliever Dedniel Núñezand catcher Luis Torrens. Out went third baseman Brett Baty, starter Christian Scottand catcher Omar Narvaez.
The moves come at the end of a frenzied week for the Mets, who have lost eight of 10 games and designated Jorge López for assignment after the reliever threw his glove into the stands Wednesday and showed no remorse for his actions.
The Mets replaced Baty with Iglesias for middle infield depth, Scott with Núñez for another bullpen arm and Narváez with Torrens for better production at catcher. The club envisions Baty and Scott, two young promising players optioned to Triple-A, as parts of their future. Going with Torrens over Narváez, however, was a performance-based decision.
Narváez, 32, slashed .154/.191/.185 in 28 games. The metrics indicated Narváez, who is making $8 million in the final year of his contract, was one of the worst defensive catchers in the majors two months into the season. New York, as a result, sought a different option to split with Tomas Nido, so they acquired Torrens from the New York Yankees for cash.
"There's always competition," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "And look, we thought that there was an opportunity here to get a player here in Luis Torrens that was going to make our roster a little bit better, or better. And we made the move. But nothing to say about Narvy too because he worked really, really hard. And he was a big part of our team."
Iglesias is a Met because the team has needed a backup middle infielder since designating Joey Wendle for assignment earlier this month. The left-handed-hitting Baty, a former top prospect, isn't in New York, for now, because the club chose the right-handed-hitting Mark Vientos over him to play third base.
Baty, 24, is hitting .225 with four home runs and a .628 OPS in 49 games this season.
"Where we were on the schedule, playing a doubleheader the other day and also facing four lefties in the next six games, there wasn't going to be much playing time for Brett," Mendoza said. "Not an easy decision, but it's time for him to go down there and continue to get some playing time, continue to get reps, continue to develop. And then he'll be back here. We told him that."
Scott has been one of the few positives for the Mets this season. The 25-year-old right-hander made his big league debut May 4 and posted a 3.90 ERA in five starts. He held the Diamondbacks to two runs over five innings Thursday.
Mendoza explained that Scott was sent down to have another reliever on the roster instead of a six-man rotation with three off days sandwiched around the team's upcoming two-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies in London. Scott is expected to rejoin the Mets soon thereafter.
"He's a big league pitcher," Mendoza said.
Núñez, 27, returned to New York for his fourth stint this season. He pitched two-thirds of an inning in relief of starterLuis Severinoin Friday's game, striking out two and giving up no walks and no runs.
Overall, he has given up three runs over nine innings across six outings with the Mets, making his major league debut with the team in April. He owns a 1.38 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 13 innings for Triple-A Syracuse this season.
