The Mets have until noon to drop a pitcher from their roster to meet MLB’s limit of 13…and that pitcher’s replacement may already be in Queens.
According to SNY’s Andy Martino, the Mets have brought outfielder Daniel Palka in from Triple-A Syracuse, although it’s not certain he will be activated for their matinee with the Marlins. The Mets do head out on a five-game road trip to Houston and Miami after the game, so it’s also possible Palka is coming with the team as a taxi squad option.
Palka, who signed a minor-league deal last winter, is slashing .265/.354/.531 with 15 homers and 47 RBI in 58 games at Triple-A this season.
The 30-year-old has spent parts of two seasons in MLB, hitting .218 with 29 homers in 154 games for the White Sox in 2018-19, and he finished fifth in the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year voting on the back of a .240/.294/.484 line with 27 homers that season.
Palka was a third-round pick by Arizona out of Georgia Tech in 2013, and played both outfield corners in his MLB stint. He was playing mostly first base at Syracuse, though, as well as serving as the DH, with 12 games in the outfield.
Adding Palka would give the Mets true coverage at first base – Pete Alonso has started 17 of 19 games there since Dom Smith’s option to AAA, with J.D. Davis filling in twice – and an extra corner outfielder, which could help keep Jeff McNeil in the infield.
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The latter might be important if Eduardo Escobar, who returned over the weekend after missing a few games due to dizziness issues, is compromised, leading to Davis being needed at third.
The team would need to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate Palka, although that could come by moving either Travis Jankowski or Tylor Megill to the 60-day IL, or designated whichever pitcher is sent down for assignment.
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