3 Mets who will be off the roster by September 1

New York Mets v Philadelphia Phillies
New York Mets v Philadelphia Phillies / Rich Schultz/GettyImages
3 of 3
Next

What will the New York Mets roster look like on September 1? For sure, it’ll include 28 players.

That’s when rosters expand by 2 and the Mets get a chance to carry an extra pitcher and a bat. Those two players might already be with the team as we should expect a couple of demotions before September 1.

Which three Mets can we expect to get demoted before September 1? It’s these three candidates at the top of the list.

1) Michael Perez will be gone from the Mets roster very soon

The Mets are carrying three catchers right now. It’s not going to last long. By the time you’re reading this, they may have already made the change.

It’s Michael Perez, the only catcher with options, who will be demoted. He took the place of Tomas Nido on the roster when he was on the COVID-IL. With him now back, the Mets have an obvious decision to make. They need to reduce the roster by one catcher.

Having three catchers is completely unnecessary when everyone is healthy. As a temporary option, it was something the Mets had to do. Perez would still be in line to get a promotion again later this season if needed. The loss of Patrick Mazeika on the waiver wire ensures it. He is now the team’s third-string catcher.

By September 1, the Mets are going to demote Perez. He’ll be off the 26-man roster and is an unlikely candidate to rejoin them when they have an extra spot available. The Mets already lack some roster flexibility with Darin Ruf and Daniel Vogelbach. Get someone here that can play more than first base.

2) Connor Grey is a fresh arm that won’t stay on the Mets roster

Connor Grey got the promotion for the Mets in what is essentially a revolving door spot on the roster. He is one of only two relief pitchers on the team with minor league options. The other, Seth Lugo, isn’t going to get demoted. Grey, regardless of how he pitches, will.

The schedule has worked out well for the Mets in this final week of August. They have an off-day Wednesday before playing four at home against the Colorado Rockies. They get another day off on Monday before they play the Los Angeles Dodgers for three. It’s in the final game against Los Angeles when September 1 hits and Grey will be long gone.

Exactly how the Mets use this roster spot will depending on a couple of things. Is Tylor Megill back? How many other arms have gotten hurt in the meantime?

The days off will help the Mets keep the bullpen a little fresher and allow them to maybe even carry just four starters. This means David Peterson stays in Triple-A. He could be a candidate to start for the Mets against the Rockies. It will really depend on how much extra rest they may want to give some of their veterans.

One guarantee: Grey is going back to Syracuse very soon.

3) Yolmer Sanchez is already a Mets DFA candidate

The Mets picked Yolmer Sanchez up off the waiver wire from the Boston Red Sox as a response to losing Luis Guillorme. The out-of-options veteran infielder won’t see too much action for New York outside of an emergency start at shortstop. Even if Guillorme is unavailable for long, if the team can get Eduardo Escobar back they should be prepared to move on from Sanchez.

This does create one issue for the Mets. Who would replace Francisco Lindor at shortstop even for a little bit of rest? Ronny Mauricio isn’t going to make the leap from the minors to the majors just for some added depth. Sanchez could always get a start before September 1 in place of Lindor a day before the team decides to designate him for assignment.

Helping to give him a chance to stick around a little longer is the fact that Brett Baty hasn’t lit the world on fire. Sanchez is far more flexible defensively. In many ways, he’s the infield version of Travis Jankowski. He’s the ultimate role player who you’re happy to get anything from. If he’s playing regularly, something is probably wrong.

The added roster spot on September 1 does help Sanchez as well. The health of their infielders on the IL will have the most say in whether or not he sticks around. Plus, with an ever-active waiver wire out there as well, the Mets should be constantly checking for outcast upgrades from other teams.

Next