The Mets made a pair of roster moves before Monday’s series opener against San Diego, with Christopher Morel getting the call from Triple-A Syracuse.
The team announced that infielder Gabriel Arias was designated for assignment to make room for Morel on the active roster.
It’s the end of a short stint in Queens for Arias. He appeared in just two games after the Mets claimed him off waivers from Cleveland earlier this month.
Arias went hitless in five plate appearances, making one start at shortstop and another at first base. Not exactly the fresh start he was looking for after spending the first four and a half years of his career with the Guardians.
The 24-year-old has struggled to find consistent offensive production at the big league level. Across 364 MLB games between Cleveland and New York, he’s hitting .218/.274/.358 with 30 home runs and a .632 OPS.
That 34.3% strikeout rate across 1,173 career plate appearances tells the story – the contact just hasn’t been there since his 2022 debut.
Now Arias will head to waivers, where teams have 48 hours to put in a claim. If he clears, he’ll likely report to Triple-A Syracuse and remain in the Mets’ system.
The move gives New York more flexibility with Morel, who can play multiple infield positions and brings a different offensive profile than Arias. It’s another example of teams constantly shuffling depth pieces as they look for the right combination down the stretch.
