Mets designate Gary Sanchez for assignment

New York Mets receiver gary sanchez has been designated for assignment, the team announced Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:

• NY has reinstated the receiver tomas nest on the 10-day disabled list in place of Sanchez.
• Sanchez, in his first season with the Mets, has one RBI and zero home runs in just three games played.
• The Mets recalled Sánchez on May 18.

He AthleticInstant analysis of:

What the changes mean for the Mets’ receiving situation

Nido’s enhanced vision and Francisco AlvarezThe tremendous game in every way facilitated the end of the experiment with Sánchez.

Since I watched most of the game time without Nest and Omar Narvaez (on the disabled list due to a calf strain), Alvarez has played like one of the best catchers in baseball. In 16 starts in May, Alvarez has slashed .294/.379/.667 as he continues to get better at handling the Mets’ veteran pitching staff, as well as expertly framing pitches and blocking balls on the ground. He deserves to continue playing regularly as the Mets’ primary catcher, however, manager Buck Showalter did not relay the Mets’ plans when asked if that was indeed the plan.

Showalter said Alvarez will continue to “catch his share of the games,” adding that he wasn’t going to let Nido sit idle either because “there’s a part of this where he needs to prove where he’s at with everything.”

The Mets hope this represents a fresh start for Nido, who struggled at the plate and wasn’t as sharp defensively as he always was in the past.

Nido recently had punctal plugs inserted in each eye. They help them stay lubricated, which alleviates the symptoms of dry eye syndrome. Despite undergoing LASIK surgery in 2019, Nido must now wear contact lenses again. He said he needed about a week to get used to the prescription and get the hang of things. While no one wanted to use vision problems as an excuse, it clearly affected his level of play. Offensively, Nido likely won’t be counted on in the lineup for consistent production, but at least he’s better than he started this season. Defensively, Nido is shaping up to be one of the best in the game.

Narváez began his rehab assignment with the Brooklyn Cyclones on Thursday. After a couple of days, he’ll move to Triple-A Syracuse. He hopes to return in early June. — Sammon

What happens to Sanchez?

In addition to not showing much offensively in a tiny sample, Sánchez did not look good defensively either. In his start Tuesday, he failed to catch a fly ball in foul territory and passed the ball. Before joining the Mets, Sánchez attracted major league interest from angels, according to league sources. The Mets now have a week to trade him or move him through waivers. — Sammon

background

Sánchez spent his first seven MLB seasons with the New York Yankees before spending a year with the minnesota twins. The two-time All-Star is hitting .225 with 154 home runs and 402 RBIs over his nine-year career.

New York will take over chicago cubs on Thursday night at 7:40 p.m. ET.

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(Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/USA Today)