The Mets announced on Twitter Saturday that catcher Rene Rivera has been claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs.
To replace Rivera and recently traded Curtis Granderson on the active roster, catcher Kevin Plawecki has been recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas and left-hander Tommy Milone has been activated from the disabled list.
Rivera, 34, appeared in 54 games for the Mets this year, hitting eight homers and driving in 23 runs, while slashing .230/.278/.391 in 174 at-bats.
On Friday, Craig Minervini of Fox Sports Florida tweeted that the Mets were trading Granderson and Rivera, according to a well-regarded MLB source.
While it wasn’t necessarily a trade, Rivera’s name had been linked to the Cubs in the past, so this comes as no surprise.
Plawecki, 26, spent a brief time in the majors this season, but hit just .125 (3-for-24) in a limited sample size.
The former first round pick has appeared in 64 games for the 51’s in 2017, hitting .328/.375/.514 with nine homers and 45 RBI in 247 at-bats.
Milone, 30, pitched in nine games for the Mets earlier this season before landing on the disabled list with a left knee sprain which caused him to miss significant time.
New York claimed him off waivers after several of its starters went down with injury, but the veteran southpaw didn’t see grand results in a limited time with the team.
In nine games (six started), Milone owns a 1-2 record with a 7.91 ERA. He last pitched on Aug. 14 in a rehab start for Binghamton and was tagged for six runs on nine hits in 6 2/3 innings.
