The New York Mets announced Monday afternoon that they have designated outfielder Bobby Abreu for assignment. This move was made to make room on the 40-man roster and 25-man roster for outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas.
Bobby Abreu did not play during the 2013 campaign, as he awaited a team to offer him a contract. Despite his age and time off from baseball, Abreu proved doubters wrong as he has hit .238/.331/.336 for the Mets this year, with one home run and 14 runs batted in.
Abreu was hitting .320/.397/.500 through 67 plate appearances and accumulated an .897 OPS in April and May, as he was looking like the lefty bat that the team had long been looking for. After his hot start to the season, he slashed .183/.289/.225 in June and July.
The Abreu signing, or as it should be referred to as: "experiment," was low-risk and looked successful at first. In the long haul, the "experiment" had run its course and it was time to make a change. Abreu could very well be considered as a Hall of Fame candidate one day.
Replacing Abreu is Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who has hit .246/.328/.509 in two seperate stints with the major league team. With the team's Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas, Nieuwenhuis had slashed .265/.319/.512 in 229 plate appearances with 11 home runs and 32 runs batted in. While contributing off the bench as a left-handed bat, he can play all three outfield positions, as he has done in both the minors and majors this season.