Mets recall Brett Baty and Edwin Uceta

The Mets have recalled third baseman Brett Baty and relief pitcher Edwin Uceta, placed pinch runner and occasional outfielder Tim Locastro on the injured list with back spasms, and optioned starting pitcher José Butto back to Triple-A Syracuse.

Baty is batting eighth in the Mets’ lineup tonight in Los Angeles, and he tore up Triple-A to start his 2023 season. In 42 plate appearances over nine games, Baty hit an incredible .400/.500/.886 with five home runs and 15 runs batted in. With Eduardo Escobar off to a very slow start at the major league level, the decision to recall Baty was an easy one—and probably one that should have been made even sooner than it was.

Still, there’s no reason not to celebrate the move. Baty should give the Mets’ lineup a boost, and if he even comes close to replicating what he did in Syracuse, he would presumably move up several spots in the team’s lineup.

As for Locastro, he had just a 37 wRC+ in ten plate appearances for the Mets to start the year, though he’s managed four stolen bases as he’s mostly gotten into games as a pinch runner.

Butto made a nice start for the Mets in their series finale win over the A’s yesterday in Oakland, and Uceta came to the Mets on a waiver claim ten days ago. Like Dennis Santana, who was recently designated for assignment, his major league track record isn’t great, but he can be optioned back to the minors by the Mets without any risk of losing him to another organization.