The New York Mets just made a surprising roster change, parting ways with one of their relievers.
The Mets are one of the best teams in the league right now and are in a heated battle for the division lead with the Philadelphia Phillies hot on their tails. In a somewhat shocking move, the Mets designated for assignment relief pitcher Rico Garcia after six appearances, despite his strong play, according to RotoWire.
"The Mets designated Garcia for assignment Sunday," the RotoWire staff wrote. "The right-hander was claimed off waivers by the Mets on July 21, and he pitched well in six appearances with three runs allowed and a 13:3 K:BB over eight innings."
"Garcia surrendered two earned runs Saturday versus the Giants, however, and has now lost his place on the 26-man and 40-man rosters. Austin Warren was called up from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move."
Garcia began his season with the Mets, making two appearances in early July. Despite not giving up a run in either appearance and only giving up one hit, Garcia was designated for assignment on July 11. After that, he was picked up by the New York Yankees, but was subsequently dropped again.
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After making his return to the Mets, Garcia made six appearances, only giving up a run in two of them. Garcia has a 3.52 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 18 strikeouts to only four walks. It's surprising the Mets would designate a player like Garcia for assignment, as he's playing well, but with how tight the race is for the division lead, there's little room for mistakes like he made in his last appearance.
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