The New York Mets have claimed infielder Jack Reinheimer off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks and have optioned him to Triple-A Las Vegas. To make room on the 40-man roster, the team has transferred Yoenis Cespedes to the 60-Day disabled list.
Reinheimer, a shortstop and second baseman, was drafted in the 31st round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves but chose to attend East Carolina University instead. He was later drafted in the fifth round of the 2013 draft by the Seattle Mariners and was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015 as part of the Mark Trumbo deal. As recently as 2017, he was ranked as one of Arizona’s top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline.
The 26-year-old Reinheimer has played in Triple-A in each of the past three seasons, putting up a .276 average with nine home runs and 38 stolen bases during that time. This year, he’s posted a 73 wRC+ in 50 games with a .237 average and a .665 OPS. His only major league experience came last year, when he went hitless in five at-bats for the Diamondbacks while striking out three times.
With Cespedes set to have surgery on both of his heels in the coming months, it was inevitable that the outfielder would be moved to the 60-Day disabled list. Cespedes is expected to miss at least eight to ten months following the surgery, which puts him on course to return toward the middle of the 2019 season. This year, he had a 120 wRC+, a 0.8 fWAR, a .262 average and an .821 OPS in 38 games for the Mets.