Victor Diaz is in Atlanta today, waiting to hear if he will be activated for tonight's game against Atlanta. The Mets will evaluate Carlos Beltran before the game and decide whether or not to put him on the DL and activate Diaz. Presumably, in that case Xavier Nady would play centerfield while Beltran is out, and Diaz would play in right.
Meanwhile, the Mets' other DL candidate, Brain Bannister is recovering from his grade one hamstring strain and is hopeful about making his next start on Tuesday at home against Washington. However, if he needs to miss one start, the Mets are likely to have Darren Oliver make the start. It's odd that they have said outright that Aaron Heilman won't make a start, but will consider using Oliver. If Bannister has to miss at least a second start, the Mets will put him on the DL and bring up a pitcher from AAA. The most likely candidate is John Maine, who is already on the 40 man roster.
Speaking of the 40 man roster, Jose Valentin's days on that roster may be numbered. The Mets signed left-handed outfielder Michael Tucker to a minor league contract Wednesday, and with ValentÃn hitting .095 in 21 at-bats, the Mets need a better left-handed option off the bench. Tucker hit .239 with five home runs and 36 RBIs last year for the Giants and Phillies, and was released by the Washington Nationals on March 30 after failing to make the club out of Spring Training. I'm not sure how I feel about signing a guy who couldn't make teh Nationals' roster, but anything would be better than Valentin.
No comments:
Post a Comment