The New York Mets are in a surprising position at this year’s trade deadline. The blue and orange are sitting at 55-49 in the final wild-card spot and just half a game back of the Atlanta Braves for the top spot.
With the Mets in a contending position, president of baseball operations David Stearns has gone to great lengths to upgrade a roster nobody had pegged to contend for the postseason.
On Sunday, Stearns upgraded the outfield by trading for former all-star Jesse Winker. To make room on the roster for the New York native, the Mets optioned a struggling outfielder to Triple-A Syracuse.
The Mets have optioned DJ Stewart to Triple-A Syracuse
According to a post from the organization via X, the Mets have optioned outfielder DJ Stewart to Triple-A Syracuse to make room for Winker on the roster.
After signing with the Mets last season, Stewart became a second-half hero for a depleted blue and orange roster. In 58 games, Stewart slashed .244/.333/.506 with an 130 OPS+, 11 home runs, and 26 RBIs.
However, 2024 has been a struggle for the Florida native. Stewart has struggled to get going and is slashing .172/.326/.298 across 71 games, with five home runs and 19 RBIs. Recently, the 30-year-old has been amidst a brutal cold stretch, as he has just three hits in his last 35 plate appearances.
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What does this mean for the Mets?
With Stewart’s struggles in 2024, it felt like the Florida native being optioned to Triple-A felt like a when rather than an if, and with the acquisition of Winker, now was the right time.
Ben Gamel was another option to lose their roster spot in favor of Winker. Still, with the 32-year-old not having a clean option to Triple-A, it made the decision to send Stewart down instead much easier as it will keep both in the organization for the time being. Gamel will likely remain on the roster until Starling Marte returns from injury.
Time will tell if Stewart returns to the major leagues this season, but it will likely require an injury combined with impressive Triple-A numbers for that to occur.
