The New York Mets on Tuesday announced that they have signed two free agents—infielder Yolmer Sánchez and catcher Austin Allen—to minor league contracts and invited to major league spring training in Port St. Lucie.
Yolmer Sánchez, INF
Sánchez is a 33-year-old third-baseman from Maracay, Venezuela.
Most of Sánchez’s career since 2009 has been spent at the minor league level. He made his major league debut in 2014 with the White Sox, but has since bounced around between the major leagues and minor leagues.
Sánchez only spent a brief two-month stint with the Mets’ organization in 2022 with Triple-A Syracuse, where he slashed .244/.355/.333/.688. He had four doubles, a home run, and drove in seven RBIs during those couple months. He also appeared in three games as an infielder in 2022 with the MLB team.
Sánchez spent the 2023 season with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, the Gwinnett Stripers. He slashed .236/.381/.350/731 OPS with 15 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, and 62 RBIs.
Overall, his career slash line is .243/.299/.355/.654 674 major league games. He also won a Gold Glove at second base with the White Sox in 2019.
Yolmer Sánchez, Photo by Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports
Austin Allen, C
Allen, who the Mets signed on his 30th birthday, is a catcher from St. Louis, Missouri. He was a fourth-round draft pick by the San Diego Padres in the 2015 MLB draft out of Florida Tech. While most of his career has also been spent at the minor league level, he made his major league debut in 2019 with the Oakland A’s.
He’s also spent time with the Padres, Cardinals, and Marlins organizations. He remained in Triple-A for the entire 2023 season, slashing .225/.311/.491/.802 OPS with the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Along with catching, Allen also has experience playing first base..
Both Sanchez and Allen will report to Port St. Lucie next month for major league spring training.
