The Mets have designated Austin Slater for assignment, per Jon Heyman. The 33-year-old joined the team less than a month ago, replacing Tommy Pham on the Mets’ active roster in the process.
In 21 plate appearances with the Mets, Slater hit .250/.286/.300 with a 69 wRC+, and like in-season acquisition Andy Ibáñez, he was emblematic of the Mets’ struggles to score runs despite having one of the highest payrolls in baseball. Now that Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing are serving as everyday outfielders, it makes
sense that the Mets would jettison Slater.
There’s no word yet on what the corresponding move for Slater will be, but for now, we know that Tyrone Taylor is the Mets’ bench outfielder. Vidal Bruján is currently one the bench with him, and he has some outfield experience, and while Brett Baty hasn’t been a good defender in his brief time in the outfield, he has played out there this season.
