Yolmer Sánchez was signed to a minor league contract with the Mets to help round out their up-the-middle depth for the regular season. Over the last several years, the Mets have seen how injuries to the infield can quickly pile up, and they’ve had to reach down the depth chart often.
Sánchez signed with the White Sox in 2009 and would have his best seasons with the organization. He made his debut in 2014 and started to see regular playing time in 2015. He was never much of a hitter and more of a defender, with his OPS+ never breaking 100 in any of these full seasons of play. There is a floor for offense from a defense-first player, and he hit that between 2017 and 2019, putting up an OPS of .732, .678, and .638 during those three seasons. He also led the league in triples with 10 back in 2018. In 2019, his defense was recognized with a Gold Glove Award.
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During the 2020 season, he went from being a White Sox mainstay to an Immaculate Grid super answer. The Orioles selected him off waivers, only to release him at the end of spring training the following year. The Braves signed him the next day. The following year, he signed with the Red Sox, who put him on waivers in August 2022. The Mets then selected him.
Sánchez was a Met before! He literally played in three games for the Mets in 2022 but didn’t get a single plate appearance. He did play in 22 games for Syracuse, getting 93 PAs and hitting .244/.355/.333. After his brief stint with the Mets, he signed with the Braves again last season. Now he’s back in the Mets organization.
Sánchez is effectively competing with José Iglesias for depth. Both players are known for their defense on the field, and both are proven veteran defenders who have spent a lot of time in bench/depth positions over the last couple of years. As of writing (2/28), Sánchez has played in three games for the Mets this spring, going 1-for-7 with a run scored and three strikeouts.
