/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59342683/922255390.jpg.0.jpg)
The Mets made a shocking move on Tuesday, sending down fan-favorite center fielder Brandon Nimmo and calling up right-handed pitching prospect Corey Oswalt. While some fans are excited to see how Oswalt might fare in the big leagues, the internet rage you’ve heard on Twitter all afternoon revolves around the player who was demoted. Nimmo hasn’t had anywhere to play since Michael Conforto returned to the lineup last week, but he was off to an awfully hot start, going 3-for-9 in six games with four walks and just one strikeout. Add to that an impressive Grapefruit League campaign, and it looked like Nimmo was ready to make an impact in the majors.
But now the team leader in smiles is headed west, presumably so he can get some more plate appearances in while the current major league outfield arrangement continues to smack the ball around the yard. Still, it’s not as though Nimmo couldn’t have been rotated into the lineup on a regular basis. Despite the crowded outfield, Nimmo still was providing the team with a lot of value. One player without as much strategic value to the Mets at the moment appears to be Paul Sewald.
One thing the Mets have plenty of is right-handed relief arms, and Sewald hasn’t done much to stand out despite a decent 2017 season in which he posted 69 strikeouts and 21 walks in 65.1 innings. So far this year, Mickey Callaway has been more eager to trust Jacob Rhame and Hansel Robles in high-leverage situations even though the latter started the season in Las Vegas after finishing 2017 with an abysmal 4.61 walks per nine innings.
Give Robles credit for the way he has bounced back early in the new season, but it’s a little strange how quickly he bypassed Sewald, who hasn’t seen any action since he allowed a run over two innings during the April 1 loss to St. Louis.
The Mets are due to make another roster move very soon since Wednesday’s starter Zack Wheeler isn’t on the big league roster yet. There are currently only four bench bats on the team, so the move will certainly be a pitcher-for-pitcher exchange. Given the way that Robles and Rhame have pitched so far, it looks like Sewald will be the odd man out when Wheeler is called upon, but you never know with the Mets.