Per a club announcement, the New York Mets have claimed infielder Robel Garcia off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.
García, 27, spent the shortened 2020 season at the Reds’ alternate site as a member of the 40-man roster after being claimed off waivers in July from the Chicago Cubs, who had designated the switch-hitter for assignment days before opening day.
His only big-league action came the prior year with the Cubs across a stint in July and September call-up. García strung together six extra-base hits in his first nine games, but proceeded to taper off, going 7-for-his-next 49, finishing with a .208/.275/.500 line with 5 homers and 11 RBI in 31 games (80 plate appearances).
García was originally signed by Cleveland in 2010 as an amateur free agent, but struggled to hit his way above A-ball through 2013, and ultimately spent the next three years out of organized baseball altogether.
He spent 2017 and 2018 in the Italian Baseball League before signing with the Cubs for 2019, after scouts watched him hit two homers off a pair of hard-throwing Reds’ pitching prospects that included first-rounder Hunter Greene. Sahadev Sharma writes a more detailed piece about how the Cubs’ scouting system managed to find him and tender him his invitation back to big-league spring training, which you can find here, courtesy of The Athletic.
Between affiliates in Double-A (Tennessee) and Triple-A (Iowa), García hit .284/.369/.586 with 27 homers and 78 RBI before getting the call-up.
Though he primarily played second base during his cup of coffee, García also has over 100 minor-league games worth of experience at third, and another 27 between the minors and majors at the corners of the outfield.
To make room for the utilityman, the Mets designated outfielder Ryan Cordell for assignment.
Cordell, who has already been outrighted off the Mets’ roster once, went just 1-for-8 with a stolen base in the orange and blue.
