The Mets announced they’ve made several roster moves to trim down their big league club.
The team has optioned pitchers Chris Flexen, Franklyn Kilomé, and Drew Gagnon to minor league camp. The club has also re-assigned the following players to minor league camp in catchers, Colton Plaia and Patrick Mazeika, infielder Gavin Cecchini, and pitchers Anthony Kay, P.J Conlon, Ryder Ryan, Corey Taylor, David Peterson, Stephen Villines, and Josh Torres.
According to Jacob Resnick of MMO, the Mets are currently in a tough spot with Kilomé (recovering from Tommy John Surgery) due to the fact that they do not wish to start his service time clock prior to his debut. League rules prevent outright of an injured player after March 13th, so instead of him getting claimed, the team will essentially go with a 39-man roster for now.
The Mets could simply put Kilome on the injured list, though that would mean getting a major league salary.
As Resnick also noted, the additional dilemma that Kilomé brings is only having one option year remaining entering the 2020 season when he is expected to be fully recovered. This does not give the Mets a whole lot of experimental time or breathing room for a player as raw as him.
