Mets make multiple roster moves, clear 40-man space

With the free agency period about to begin, the Mets made some moves on Friday to trim their 40-man roster and open up some space to work with. The team began the day with 35 players on their roster but had eight players set to come off the 60-day DL, so some roster maneuvering needed to be done.

Of the eight players needing reinstatement, the Mets reinstated six of them: Yoenis Cespedes, Travis d’Arnaud, Eric Hanhold, Bobby Wahl, Juan Lagares, and T.J. Rivera. They chose to outright Rafael Montero and Phillip Evans off the 40-man roster, and both players elected free agency.

Wahl and Hanhold were the only players kept who were not certain to be retained. The Mets also still have a decision to make about whether to tender d’Arnaud a contract. Lagares and Cespedes were always certains to be retained, and it looks like Rivera will be sticking around as well.

In addition to those moves, Jack Reinheimer was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs, and Jamie Callahan was outrighted off the 40-man roster and has become a minor-league free agent. Callahan, once considered the prize of the Addison Reed trade in 2017, saw his stock drop after not playing at all in 2018 due to shoulder surgery.

The Mets’ 40-man roster now sits at 38, and more space could still be opened up. David Wright still holds a roster spot, and it’s unclear how the team plans to move forward with him. On top of that, along with possible non-tender for d’Arnaud, Tim Peterson, Drew Gagnon, Paul Sewald, Jacob Rhame, and Gavin Cecchini all still hold roster spots, and all of them could definitely be considered “on the bubble” going forward.