Utility infielder/outfielder Ty Kelly was officially added to the 40-man roster and is with the team and available to play tonight against the Washington National. Kelly, 27, will wear uniform No. 55, last worn be Kelly Johnson.
To make room for Kelly, the Mets designated LHP Dario Alvarez for assignment.
Original Report
If Lucas Duda‘s back injury becomes serious enough to warrant a trip to the DL, the Mets could call up Ty Kelly to replace him, reports ESPN’s Adam Rubin.
Duda will get his back examined at the Hospital for Special Surgery tomorrow after which the team will presumably make the decision to either keep him on the roster or place him on the DL. Terry Collins has told reporters Duda could be “out for a while.”
Duda has had mixed results this season, slashing .231/.297/.431 (97 wRC+) with seven homers in 47 games. He has sat out the last two games.
Thoughts from Jacob Resnick
Kelly, 27, has quietly turned himself into one of the top hitters in the organization. At .391, his batting average leads all qualified hitters in affiliated baseball, and his .478 on base percentage is first among Mets minor leaguers.
Defensive versatility is a major component of Kelly’s game, as he’s seen time at each position except catcher across his eight minor league seasons. With the 51s this year, Kelly has mainly played left field, but he’s also had reps at first base, third base, and shortstop.
Kelly spent all of Spring Training with the major league club, and saw action in the outfield and at second base. Even before Grapefruit League games began, Terry Collins cited Kelly as a potential candidate for big league playing time down the road.
Thoughts from Joe D.
The one thing about adding Kelly is that it would require cutting someone from the 40-man roster. Remember that Zack Wheeler is already on the 60-day DL so that’s not an option. So that would mean to risk losing a Gabriel Ynoa, Dario Alvarez, Akeel Morris, Josh Smoker or Seth Lugo. Not such an easy decision.
