Rob Johnson Optioned To Buffalo To Make Room For Josh Thole

If I were a betting man, I would have put my money on a Mike Nickeas demotion today as the Mets activated Josh Thole from the disabled list and have not recently been in the business of carrying three catchers on the active roster. I would have been wrong.

Rob Johnson has been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo following a brief stint with the Mets. In 35 plate appearances, Johnson hit .313/.371/.344 and pitched a scoreless inning in the Mets' blowout loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on May 18.

Johnson's demotion means that Nickeas remains with the Mets. In 70 plate appearances this season, Nickeas is hitting .148/.235/.230. His .217 wOBA ranks 318th among the 344 players in MLB with at least 70 plate appearances this year.

Given Josh Thole's far superior bat, Nickeas should truly be a backup while Thole gets the grand majority of playing time. That would have been the case if Johnson stayed, too, but the Mets seem to have made the wrong choice here.