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The Mets have signed Jose Bautista to a major league deal. The deal is for the prorated veteran’s minimum, as Bautista was recently released by the Braves. The veteran slugger will wear #11 with the team and is now starting in left field tonight.
Bautista, who is several years removed from his peak years as an All-Star in Toronto, most recently put up a disappointing .143/.250/.343 line and a 63 wRC+ in Atlanta before his release. He did show some flashes of power, hitting two home runs in 12 games, and his OPS against lefties was a much stronger .913. The Mets highlighted his numbers against lefties in the team’s press release, so it seems likely he will mostly feature in games against southpaws, at least to start.
In order to make room for Bautista, the Mets optioned Phillip Evans to Triple-A Las Vegas. Evans saw little playing time during his May stint with the Mets, collecting just one hit in five at-bats while striking out three times.