The agent for Duaner Sanchez has said that there's a chance Sanchez could return by the end of August. Color me skeptical. Too, the agent's name is Bean Stringfellow.
Damion Easley has been officially placed on the bereavement list. Easley had left the team last night to attend to a family matter, though specific details were not released. Placing Easley on the bereavement list opens up a spot on the active roster, a spot which will be filled by...
Chip Ambres, who has been called up from New Orleans to fill in off the bench. He has swung the bat impressively in Triple-A this season (stats courtesy of Jeff Sackmann's inimitable Minor League Splits):
| AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | W | IW | HP | K | SH | SF | GDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | BABIP | |
| Overall | 294 | 80 | 18 | 0 | 15 | 45 | 0 | 2 | 69 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0.272 | 0.370 | 0.486 | 0.857 | 0.310 |
Ambres's platoon splits are not flattering, though:
| AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | W | IW | HP | K | SH | SF | GDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | BABIP | |
| vs. LH | 83 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.373 | 0.490 | 0.783 | 1.274 | 0.379 |
| vs. RH | 211 | 49 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 53 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0.232 | 0.318 | 0.370 | 0.688 | 0.283 |
He has destroyed lefties and been mostly stymied by righties. His walk rates against pitchers of any handedness have been very strong. He probably won't see much action with the Mets, and anticipate that he will be demoted as soon as Easley or Moises Alou is available to return.