Mets activate Wilmer Flores, option Sean Gilmartin to Vegas

Wilmer Flores appears set to make his return to the Mets as the team announced that he’ll be joining the big club in Atlanta this evening. The team activated Flores this afternoon and there is speculation that he will be starting for the team in Thursday’s game. In a corresponding move, Sean Gilmartin has been sent back to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Flores has been on the disabled list since April 20 with an infection in his knee that briefly required hospitalization. His absence came at a poor time for the Mets, who lost Lucas Duda simultaneously and found themselves with a very thin infield.

Flores has played in a couple of rehab games and has looked pretty good, so there are decent odds he’ll be able to contribute immediately. Flores was hitting just .171/.194/.343 before his trip to the DL, so Mets fans will certainly be hoping that the time off has given him a renewed focus on hitting.

Gilmartin’s most recent stint with the Mets has been an ugly one. He gave up five earned runs in 2.2 innings of work against the Nationals on Sunday, ballooning his ERA to 13.50. This is his second time being sent down this season. He was not particularly more effective in Las Vegas, where he carries an 8.10 ERA this season.