The NL East-leading New York Mets made another depth move Saturday as they completed a waiver trade to reacquire outfielder Eric Young Jr.
According to the Mets’ official Twitter account, they will send cash considerations to the Braves in exchange for Young, who will subsequently report to Triple-A Las Vegas.
The Mets picked up Young in a trade with the Colorado Rockies in 2013, and he appeared in 91 games for New York that season. Young also played in 100 games for the Mets in 2014, hitting .229 with one home run, 17 RBI and 30 stolen bases after swiping 46 bags in total the year before.
The 30-year-old speedster has played sparingly for the Braves this season, and his production has been subpar—to the tune of a .169 batting average, five RBI and just three steals.
While Young won’t be patrolling the outfield at Citi Field quite yet, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com believes he could have a spot on the big club when rosters expand in September:
The Mets entered play Saturday tied for 26th in the league with just 45 steals as a team. If nothing else, Young can add another dimension to New York’s offensive attack as a part-time player and pinch runner.
New York leads the Washington Nationals by five games in the NL East, and adding a depth player like Young to other recent acquisitions such as Kelly Johnson, Juan Uribe and Yoenis Cespedes should help the team in terms of preserving that advantage.
Young won’t be the reason why the Mets do or don’t make the playoffs, but he is the type of versatile player every strong team seems to have.
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