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Mets Activate James McCann

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The Mets have activated James McCann from the injured list, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. No corresponding move is needed at this time, as he will serve as the 29th man for today’s doubleheader.

The move comes just at the right time, as Chance Sisco was involved in a collision at the plate in the ninth inning of yesterday’s game. He’s still being evaluated today, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see him involved in some kind of roster move tomorrow. McCann and Patrick Mazeika will split the catching duties in today’s twin bill.

McCann has been out for a little more than two weeks because of back spasms. Unfortunately for the Mets, even when healthy, he’s been closer to the Tigers’ version of McCann than the White Sox’ version from the past two seasons. In the first year of a four-year deal, McCann is hitting .240/.303/.357 in 337 plate appearances.

Mets Place Zack Scott On Administrative Leave; Sandy Alderson To Assume GM Duties

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The Mets announced Thursday that they’ve placed acting general manager Zack Scott on administrative leave “until further notice.” Team president Sandy Alderson is assuming Scott’s responsibilities indefinitely. Scott was arrested earlier this week on a DWI charge in White Plains, N.Y. He pleaded not guilty at an arraignment earlier this morning.

It’s been a tumultuous year for the Mets’ front office, to say the least. Alderson, the team’s former general manager who stepped away years ago in the wake of a cancer diagnosis, was brought back to the organization by new owner Steve Cohen and expected to serve a broader role as team president. Cohen parted ways with GM Brodie Van Wagenen, a former agent who’d been hired by the prior Wilpon family ownership group as Alderson’s successor.

Alderson and Cohen at one point were said to be looking to hire both a president of baseball operations and a general manager but were unable to secure interviews with some top targets and had their interest rebuffed by others. Reported names under consideration at the time included Indians GM Mike Chernoff, Athletics GM David Forst and Twins GM Thad Levine, among others. The Mets eventually settled on a trio of assistant general managers a finalists in their search, selecting D-backs AGM Jared Porter as their new general manager and hiring Scott, then an AGM in Boston, as an assistant GM as well.

Porter, however, was fired just weeks after being hired once it came to light that he’d repeatedly sent unsolicited, and at times graphic and sexually explicit text messages to a reporter in 2016. Allegations against former manager Mickey Callaway, who’d since been hired as the Angels’ pitching coach, soon followed. Callaway was with another club by that point, but much of the purported behavior took place during his tenure with the Mets. Both Porter and Callaway have been placed on Major League Baseball’s ineligible list through the 2022 season.

With Porter quickly ousted, Scott was elevated to the status of acting general manager. There’d been some thought that he could be in line for a permanent appointment to that post — perhaps still with a president of baseball operations being hired to oversee things — but the recent arrest and today’s announcement have now brought his future with the organization into question.

Following the revelations regarding Callaway and Porter, Alderson spoke of improving the Mets’ vetting and background checks during future hiring processes. With another key member of their leadership team now facing a legal issue, an even brighter spotlight will be focused on who the Mets hire this coming winter. It’s possible that Scott is retained in some capacity — notably, Cohen fired Porter the day after word of his purported transgressions broke — but it seems at the very least that there will be some changes to the team’s front office looming this winter.

Mets Designate Geoff Hartlieb For Assignment

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The Mets have designated right-hander Geoff Hartlieb for assignment, per a club announcement. His spot on the roster goes to lefty Brad Hand, whose previously reported waiver claim has now been officially announced.

Hartlieb, 27, was claimed off waivers out of the Pirates organization earlier in the summer and appeared in just three big league games with the Mets, He was tagged for seven runs through 4 1/3 innings in that tiny sample. All in all, he has a 7.46 ERA in 66 1/3 big league innings dating back to 2019. He’s also had a rough go of it in 13 Triple-A frames with the Mets, which marks a departure from a generally excellent track record in the upper minors.

His struggles since being claimed by the Mets notwithstanding, Hartlieb carries a career 3.03 ERA in parts of six minor league seasons — including a 3.18 mark in 62 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level. He’s fanned just shy of 29 percent of the opponents he’s faced in parts of two Triple-A seasons and posted a very strong 56.3 percent ground-ball rate in that time as well.

The Mets will now either place Hartlieb on outright waivers or release waivers in the coming days. In addition to his strong numbers in the upper minors, Hartlieb has a minor league option remaining beyond the current season, so he could give another club some depth should they wish to place a claim.

Mets Claim Brad Hand

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The Mets have claimed left-handed reliever Brad Hand off waivers from the Blue Jays, reports MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter thread). The Jays designated Hand for assignment earlier this week. Because he’s been acquired after Aug. 31, Hand would be ineligible for the Mets’ playoff roster, should the team qualify.

It proved to be a short stay in Toronto for Hand, who was acquired in a July 29th deal that sent catcher Riley Adams from Toronto to Washington. Hand had been in something of a slump with the Nats after a strong three-month start to the season and ultimately wasn’t able to turn the tide following a change of scenery. In 8 2/3 innings with the Jays, Hand yielded 10 runs (seven earned) on 13 hits and three walks with five strikeouts. Of those 13 knocks, three of them left the yard.

Hand is playing the season on a one-year, $10.5MM deal he signed with the Nationals in free agency. He’s still owed $1.75MM of that sum through season’s end, and by claiming him off waivers rather than letting him reach free agency and then attempting to sign him, the Mets are taking on the remainder of that salary.

Notably, the Mets had interest in Hand dating all the way back to the early stages of the 2020-21 offseason. Team president Sandy Alderson has gone on record to state that the team might have claimed Hand when the Indians placed him on waivers at the end of the 2020 campaign (in an effort to spare themselves the $1MM buyout on his $10MM club option). However, with the team’s ownership change not yet finalized, the Mets weren’t in a position to claim an eight-figure salary. Later in free agency, the Mets were reported to have made an offer similar to the $10.5MM deal Hand accepted from the division-rival Nationals.

That could have turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Mets. Even setting aside Hand’s recent struggles, the Mets’ alternate course of action saw the team instead turn to sign southpaw Aaron Loup, who has pitched to a stellar 1.20 ERA through 45 innings while playing on a one-year, $3MM deal.

The Mets now have both lefties, and they’ll hope for a rebound for Hand. It’d likely be expecting too much to seek a return to his halcyon days with the Padres, when he pitched to a 2.62 ERA with a 33 percent strikeout rate in 240 1/3 innings from 2016-18. However, Hand pitched to a mid-2.00s ERA with the Nats up through the season’s first few months — albeit with a greatly diminished 23 percent strikeout rate and much more questionable marks from fielding-independent metrics than during his San Diego peak.

There’s not much risk for the Mets in claiming Hand, other than being out a bit of money for a player who has been struggling immensely in recent weeks. If Hand can return to form, he can help fuel an improbable postseason push and perhaps set himself up more nicely for his forthcoming return to the free-agent market. If the struggles persist, the Mets were already a long shot for the playoffs anyhow. They’re five games out of the division lead and five and a half back in the Wild Card hunt, but team president Sandy Alderson is still willing to make some moves and Cohen is still willing to spend some money to try to close that gap.

Mets GM Zack Scott Facing DWI Charge

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Sept. 2: Scott pleaded not guilty to the DWI charge at this morning’s arraignment, writes Ryan Gerbosi of Newsday. He has another court date scheduled on Oct. 7.

Sept. 1: Mets acting general manager Zack Scott was arrested in White Plains, N.Y., early Tuesday morning, as first reported by Mike Puma, Craig McCarthy and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon of the New York Post. The Post reports that police found Scott “dozing” in a vehicle, at which point he allegedly refused a breathalyzer but failed a field sobriety test. CBS 2 New York indicates that an officer saw the vehicle in question “driving erratically” shortly before the arrest. Scott has been charged and is due back in White Plains City Court this Thursday, per the Post report.

The Mets issued a statement just minutes after the news of Scott’s arrest was reported, which reads as follows:

“We were surprised and deeply disappointed to learn this morning about an alleged DUI involving Zack Scott. We take this matter very seriously. Zack will not be traveling with the team for our upcoming road trip while we learn more and determine next steps.”

The 44-year-old Scott is in his first year with the Mets, having been hired out of the Red Sox organization, where he oversaw the pro scouting and analytics departments, this past offseason. Scott was originally hired as an assistant general manager but was elevated to the title of acting general manager after then-GM Jared Porter was fired.

Every Team’s Initial September Callups

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The limit on active roster players expanded from 26 to 28 today, as the calendar flipped to September. Every team announced at least two additions to the big league club (some teams made three or more due to injured list placements). Here’s a recap of today’s spate of transactions:

Mets Release Zack Godley

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The Mets have granted right-hander Zack Godley his release, MLBTR has learned. He’d been on a minor league contract and pitching with their affiliate in Triple-A Syracuse. He’s now a free agent and eligible to sign with another club for the final month of the season. Godley is the second veteran free agent cut loose by the Mets late in the month, as they also released Josh Reddick from their Syracuse affiliate just yesterday.

The Mets were the third organization of the 2021 campaign for the 31-year-old Godley. He opened the year in the Brewers system after signing a minor league deal and got a pair of brief looks in the Majors. He’s also spent time with the Indians this season, though Cleveland didn’t call him to the Majors.

Godley has been tagged for six runs in 3 1/3 big league innings this season and, generally speaking, has struggled in the Majors over the past few years. He was a solid member of the D-backs’ rotation from 2017-18, pitching to a 4.10 ERA with a 24.9 percent strikeout rate and a 9.4 percent walk rate through 333 1/3 innings (57 starts). However, the D-backs moved on after he limped to a 6.39 ERA through 76 frames for them in 2018. A brief run with the Blue Jays’ bullpen yielded solid results late in that season, but Godley allowed 26 runs through 28 2/3 innings with the Red Sox last summer before a season-ending IL placement due to a forearm strain.

It’s been a solid season in Triple-A for the veteran Godley, however, who has pitched to a 2.33 ERA in four starts with the Mets’ top affiliate and owns a season-long 3.56 ERA with a 22.1 percent strikeout rate and a 10.9 percent walk rate through 73 1/3 innings. Godley carries a 3.29 ERA in 134 career innings at the Triple-A level and a 4.92 ERA in 568 2/3 innings at the big league level.

Noah Syndergaard Tests Positive For COVID-19

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Noah Syndergaard has tested positive for COVID-19, per several reporters, including Tim Healey of Newsday Sports. The righty was scheduled to make a rehab appearance today as he continues his arduous journey back to the big leagues, which he hasn’t seen in almost two years. Instead, it will be yet another setback in a year full of them for Syndergaard.

Since undergoing Tommy John surgery in March of 2020, it’s been nothing but stops and starts for Thor in 2021. He initially started a rehab stint in May but was shut down after just two starts due to elbow inflammation. He then began a second rehab stint on Thursday, throwing just one inning, with the aim of returning as a reliever since there’s no longer enough time in the season to get properly stretched out as a starter. Now he will have to put everything on pause again due to this positive test.

This is yet another disappointment in a month full of them for the Mets. After leading the NL East for much of the season, they’ve gone 7-19 in August and now find themselves 7 1/2 games behind the Braves, with the Phillies in between them. They were already facing a difficult decision with Syndergaard, given that he’s approaching free agency and is a candidate for a qualifying offer. If healthy, he is a potential top-of-rotation starter and certainly worth the money. But the club will have to judge his health based on whatever small sample of work he can produce in the dwindling number of remaining games. With yet another setback, the sample they will use to make that decision has now gotten even smaller.

Mets Release Josh Reddick

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The Mets announced that outfielder Josh Reddick has been released from his minor league contract.  Reddick joined the Mets earlier this month, shortly after the Diamondbacks also released the veteran.

Though Reddick received only 38 plate appearances over 11 games at Triple-A Syracuse, he didn’t produce much in that small sample size, hitting only .182/.289/.303 with one home run.  This performance came on the heels of a .258/.285/.371 slash line in 158 PA with the Diamondbacks, after Reddick signed a minors deal with Arizona in April and was selected to the big league roster in May.

Now a veteran of 13 MLB seasons, Reddick hasn’t provided above-average offensive production (as per wRC+ or OPS+) since the 2017 season, when he was a key member of the Astros’ World Series team.  Since the start of the 2018 campaign, Reddick has hit only .258/.314/.397 over 1405 PA at the big league level.  The left-handed hitting Reddick doesn’t have much extra value in terms of splits over those four seasons, though he has traditionally wielded a strong outfield glove (mostly playing in right field).

If Reddick is signed prior to August 31, he would be eligible for another team’s postseason roster, should a club be looking for an experienced outfield bat.  Clearly he wasn’t in the Mets’ plans for the stretch run, and Reddick seemed like a bit of an imperfect fit anyway considering that starting outfielders Brandon Nimmo, Dominic Smith, and Michael Conforto all hit from the left side.  (Jeff McNeil, another lefty bat, has also been seeing more outfield work as of late.)

Mets To Activate Francisco Lindor From Injured List

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The Mets are activating star shortstop Francisco Lindor from the 10-day injured list before tonight’s game against the Giants, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com was among those to relay. He’ll be making his first appearance since mid-July after missing five weeks with a right oblique strain.

Things were looking up for the Mets before Lindor hit the IL on July 17. New York had been leading the National League East for the prior couple months and looked to have a good chance at snapping a four-year playoff drought. That’s no longer the case, as the Mets have fallen flat in August and dipped below .500 in recent days. New York enters play tonight sporting a 61-63 record, sitting in third place in the division. They’re six and a half games back of the Braves and two games behind the Phillies, giving them very little margin for error if they’re to make a playoff push over the season’s final five-plus weeks.

For the first time, Lindor will pair with trade deadline acquisition Javier Báez in the middle infield. The Mets acquired Báez from the Cubs in the hope that he could hold down shortstop for a few weeks before sliding to second base upon Lindor’s return. Unfortunately, Báez missed ten days himself due to back spasms, but he made his return to the lineup over the weekend.

Lindor started the season very slowly, but he’d begun to find some rhythm offensively before the injury. Overall, he’s carrying a .228/.326/.376 line over his first 364 plate appearances. That’s career-worst production — no doubt a disappointing start to his time in Queens — but Lindor has continued to offer Gold Glove caliber defense and should see an improvement in his hitting numbers, since he’s been plagued by a .248 batting average on balls in play.

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