Mets Call-Ups Are With The Team And Ready To Play Tonight

The New York Mets today recalled outfielder Jordany Valdespin, righthanded pitchers Elvin Ramirez, Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia from Buffalo (AAA) of the International League. The club also selected the contracts of lefthanded pitcher Justin Hampson and outfielder Fred Lewis from Buffalo. Everyone will be available for tonight’s game.

Valdespin will wear uniform #1, Ramirez will wear #62, Mejia will wear #32, Familia will wear #27, Hampson will wear #45 and Lewis will wear #15.

In order to make room on the roster, the Mets transferred catcher Rob Johnson and lefthanded pitcher Tim Byrdak to the 60-Day Disabled List.

Valdespin, 24, rejoins the Mets for the fifth time this season. In his previous three stints with the club, Valdespin hit .242 (39-161) with eight home runs and 26 RBI in 75 games. In 39 games with the Bisons, he hit .285 (43-151) with five home runs and 23 RBI.

Ramirez, 24, returns to the Mets for the third time this season. The righthander went 0-1 with a 7.30 ERA in 11 games with the Mets earlier this year. He compiled a 2.36 ERA and a 3-1 record with one save for the Bisons. He also spent time with Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League, going 0-1 with a 1.38 ERA and one save in eight games.

Mejia, 22, spent the season at three different levels, going a combined 4-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 30 games, 14 starts with Buffalo, Binghamton and St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League. The 6-0, 205-pound righthander played the majority of the season with the Bisons, compiling a 3-4 record and a 3.54 ERA in 26 games, 10 starts.

Familia, 22, spent the entire season at Buffalo, going 9-9 with a 4.73 ERA in 28 games, all starts.

Hampson, 32, was with the Mets for three games earlier this season, tossing 1.1 innings and not receiving a decision. He allowed two runs, both unearned.  Hampson had a very solid season with the Bisons where he posted a 2.35 ERA and made 51 appearances out of the bullpen spanning 65.2 innings with 59 strikeouts.

Lewis, 31, won the Stan Barron Most Valuable Player for Buffalo this season, hitting .294 (123-
419) with 13 home runs and 45 RBI in 108 games.

Original Post 9/1 8:30 AM

It’s the first day of the ninth month of the calendar year, and one of the game’s longest-held rites of passage that still remains intact in this Bud Selig era is “September Call-ups”.

This is a time for major league teams to expand their active roster to as many as 40 players and also when many young players make their Major League debuts.

For some teams, it’s a time to bolster their rosters for a pennant chase, while for others (like the Mets) it’s an opportunity to assess and evaluate new players for the following season.

On that note, the Mets have announced they will recall both Mike Nickeas and Zach Lutz from Triple-A Buffalo and that they will be available for tonight’s game against the Miami Marlins. In the case of these two players, no corresponding move will be necessary as they are both already on the team’s 40-man roster.

It has already been reported that right-hander Collin McHugh will be added in time to make Monday’s start in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Pitching in place of the injured Johan Santana, McHugh had a sparkling Major League debut when he tossed seven shutout innings against Colorado striking out nine and allowing just two hits.

According to Adam Rubin, there will be more call-ups on Tuesday and we can expect to see right-handers Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia and Elvin Ramirez as well as Jordany Valdespin. The Mets also may reward a Triple-A veteran such as Matt Tuiasosopo or Fred Lewis.

Despite struggling offensively during his time with the Mets, Mike Nickeas has hit well for Buffalo batting .364 in 22 games with with six doubles, one home run and six RBI.

Lutz, 26, has batted .299 this season with 34 runs scored, 16 doubles, 10 home runs and 35 RBI in 72 games with Buffalo. He made his major league debut earlier this year with the Mets going 1-4 in four games.

It will be fun to see some of these players, especially Jeurys Familia and Jenrry Mejia, show their stuff as the season winds down. We’ve written so much about them this year that it’s kind of exciting to finally get a chance to see them play at this level.

Good luck to all our new call-ups whose promotions are well deserved.