Forced to exercise a clause that would have prevented him from becoming a free agent, the Mets promoted right-hander Carlos Torres from Triple-A Las Vegas.
To make room for him, the team optioned reliever Greg Burke to Vegas and designated Collin McHugh for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot.
Torres, 30, exercised an opt-out in his contract Friday, giving the Mets 48 hours to promote him or release him.
Torres is in the middle of a recent good stretch that has him toss consecutive complete games with Las Vegas and he has won five straight starts. The former Colorado Rockie had a 5.26 ERA in 31 relief appearances last season.
There will be more moves coming as the Mets plan to add pitchers Zack Wheeler and likely Scott Atchison as well on Tuesday. That would indicate two more cuts to be made, possibly Josh Edgin giving them just one lefty in the bullpen – something the Mets have been very accustomed to in the last few years.
