The New York Mets announced that they have recalled Michael Conforto from Triple-A Las Vegas and have optioned outfielder Brandon Nimmo back to the minors.
Conforto, 23, is due to rejoin the Mets for the series opener against the Cubs in Chicago on Monday.
While getting plenty of playing time in right field, Conforto batted .344 (21-61) with four doubles, two triples, three home runs and 15 RBI in 16 games while posting a 1.043 OPS for Las Vegas.
Nimmo, 23, batted .223 during his short stint with the Mets, hitting one homer in 55 plate appearances with 4 RBI.
“I know I have a lot to work on, and I can still do that in Triple-A,” Nimmo said after learning of his demotion. “I think right now they feel like Conforto can really help out the team. I think that he can, too.”
After the game, Terry Collins said that Yoenis Cespedes will play left field until further notice while his strained quad gets back to 100 percent. That would mean Conforto would play right, where fellow left-hander Curtis Granderson plays everyday.
Cespedes again told reporters today that he would prefer to play left field for the rest of the season, something he’s mentioned a few times over the past week.
It’s also unclear how center fielder Juan Lagares fits into the equation. Collins said that he planned for Lagares to start more games against right-handed pitching going forward, and to his credit Lagares has responded well offensively.
“We’ll just have to wait and see who is pitching, who is swinging good and who is not, and who is pitching for us,” Collins said Saturday. “If you’ve got a fly-ball pitcher, you certainly want to make sure to get Juan in there if we can.”
The next few games will be very telling.
