What year is it again?
According to Jacob Resnick of SNY, the New York Mets have called up utility man Wilfredo Tovar from Triple-A Syracuse to replace outfielder Kevin Pillar, who landed on the injured list after getting hit in the face with a pitch on Monday night.
The team also designated catcher Deivy Grullón for assignment to make room on the 40-Man roster for Tovar.
The Mets’ I.L. continues to grow by the day, as Pillar went down in a scary incident in the seventh inning after getting struck in the nose by a fastball from Atlanta Braves reliever Jacob Webb.
The center fielder was forced to go to the hospital to get a CT scan last night. And on Tuesday morning, it was revealed that Pillar had suffered multiple nasal fractures and was set to meet with a facial specialist in Atlanta.
As a result, the Mets called up Tovar, who they originally signed back in 2007 at the age of 15. Tovar made his MLB debut with the Mets back in 2013 before bouncing around the league on several minor league deals. The 29-year-old last appeared in the majors with the Los Angeles Angels in 2019.
Overall, Tovar is a natural middle infielder, but has played the corner infield and outfield spots in his career. He has also posted a .188 average, with 0 home runs and seven RBIs in the majors.
This season, Tovar was off to an anemic start offensively for Syracuse, slashing a mere .206/.349/.235 with seven RBIs in 10 games.
The Mets hope Tovar can become their latest unsung hero, as they continue to try to tread water until they get some healthy reinforcements back to their club.
But in all likelihood, Tovar will serve as an extra bench piece, which resembles how beleaguered the Mets’ depth currently is, given the mass amount of injuries they’ve endured.
