Mets send Michael Conforto to Las Vegas, call up Seth Lugo

The Mets have sent outfielder Michael Conforto down to Triple-A Las Vegas and called up right-handed pitcher Seth Lugo. The move comes as somewhat of a surprise, though Conforto hadn’t been playing regularly over the past few weeks and struggled when he did. After returning from Las Vegas in mid-July, Conforto got just 57 plate appearances and hit .200/.298/.340 with one home run in them.

It’s been a strange year for Conforto, who made the jump from Double-A Binghamton to the big leagues last July and performed very well. He hit .270/.335/.506 with nine home runs and a 134 wRC+ in 194 plate appearances in the regular season, hit three home runs—with a .200/.235/.500 overall line—in the playoffs, and got off to a torrid start in April this year.

As for Lugo, he’s been back and forth between New York and Las Vegas this year, his first in the big leagues. He’s pitched just 11.1 innings with the Mets so far with a 3.18 ERA and 3.22 FIP, thanks largely to the fact that he hasn’t allowed a home run yet. He’s struck out 7.94 and walked 4.76 opposing hitters per nine innings.