Mets cut Chris Flexen and six others, trim roster to 44 players

The Mets announced on Wednesday morning that they are sending right-handed pitcher Chris Flexen to minor league camp along with fellow hurler Tyler Bashlor, first baseman Peter Alonso, outfielders Zach Borenstein and Kevin Kaczmarski, catcher Patrick Mazeika, and third baseman David Thompson.

None of the seven players were expected to make the 25-man Opening Day roster, although Flexen did play a significant role on the 2017 squad with nine starts and 14 overall appearances. The 23-year-old posted a 7.88 ERA during the campaign, so it’s not a surprise that he’ll start 2018 in the minor leagues. It’s still a good sign, though, that he gave up just one run with four strikeouts and no walks during five Grapefruit League innings.

Bashlor wasn’t nearly as impressive, as he walked five batters and allowed a pair of runs in his six frames. The only hitter of the group to make a big impact was Thompson, who hit .348/.464/.391 over 23 at-bats. The 2015 draft pick out of Miami will likely be stashed at Triple-A as infield depth for most of the year.

With just over two weeks to go until Opening Day, New York’s roster still has 44 players on it, so 19 more cuts will need to be made before the regular season gets started on March 29.