The New York Mets continued their flurry of roster moves and placed Eduardo Nunez on the 10-day injured list and selected the contract of Brian Dozier from their Brooklyn taxi squad. The Mets also designated reliever Hunter Strickland for assignment and recalled Daniel Zamora.
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Nunez came out of the game Sunday night against the Atlanta Braves after beating out an infield single. He was diagnosed with a left knee contusion. Nunez had made two appearances with his first coming as a pinch-runner and earned his first stolen base with the Mets.
New York is replacing him with Dozier, who was cut earlier this summer by the San Diego Padres. Dozier will be making his Mets debut, batting sixth Thursday night against the Boston Red Sox.
First look at former All-Star, Gold Glover and World Series champion Brian Dozier in a Mets uniform. pic.twitter.com/hsawgiJ2lg
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 30, 2020
“He’s got pedigree, said General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen. “Having been an All-Star, Gold Glove award winner World Series champion last year, this guy has always been able to hit particularly against left-handed. When we looked at our balance of infielders with a lot of left-handed hitters, we thought Brian gave us a real threat from the right side of the plate.”
In the bullpen, Strickland only appeared in three games but struggled mightily. He picked up the loss in extra innings on Saturday. Strickland was back out there on Sunday in a mop up role. Striclkand also pitched the ninth inning Tuesday night with a six-run lead and allowed a run.
The Mets added a third lefty to the bullpen with Zamora, joining Chasen Shreve and Justin Wilson. Zamora has pitched in 33 games in two seasons with New York with the effective slider he used on left-handed hitters.
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Van Wagenen also announced that Jed Lowrie’s ongoing knee injury resulted from him suffering from PCL laxity, which he describes as looseness of the knee. Lowrie signed a two-year contract with the Mets before the 2019 season and has had seven at-bats after driving in 99 runs in his final season with the Oakland Athletics in 2018.
Also, Marcus Stroman is expecting to face live hitters on Friday. He started the season on the injured list with a strained right calf. But has already had an 85-pitch bullpen session. Once he can field his position, he should be cleared to make his first start with the Mets.
The Mets also announced that they had their second player come back from COVID-19. Jared Hughes joins Brad Brach as the two players that have tested positive prior to the season, and both have returned and are hopeful to be back on the 30-man roster soon.
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