QUEENS, NY: The Mets announced that backstop Tomás Nido has been designated for assignment and that catcher Francisco Alvarez has been activated from the 10-day injured list.
Alvarez underwent surgery on April 23 after rupturing the ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb in April. He returned exactly in the middle of the six-to eight-week absence window that the team had anticipated.
After Alvarez went down, Nido was brought to the team and produced a respectable .229/.261/.361 despite his reputation as a glove-first backup type.
Nido will now have one week to be traded by the Mets or placed on waivers. As part of the two-year contract he signed with the Mets through 2023, he is making $2.1MM this season.
Before he reached five years of service time last summer, the Mets placed him on waivers. That probably wasn't a coincidence, since reaching the five-year milestone would have allowed him to choose free agency and retain all of his funds. Rather, he was required to remain in a non-roster depth role in order to continue receiving his salary.
Despite his career hitting of just .214/.251/.313 (a wRC+ of 57), Nido has a strong defensive reputation that may make him a valuable asset to other teams. Nido has spent the last 12 years in the Mets system, the last 8 on the big league club.
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