Mets updates: Ender Inciarte joins team, latest on Jeff McNeil and Max Scherzer injuries
NEW YORK — Ender Inciarte switched boroughs.
The nine-year veteran outfielder wanted a crack at playing in the MLB. When the Yankees revealed that quest would be a difficult one with a loaded lineup, Inciarte opted out and joined their National League rivals.
A little more than a week after signing a minor-league deal with the Mets, Inciarte was added to the major-league roster on Tuesday.
Nick Plummer was optioned to Class AAA Syracuse, while Locke St. John was designated for assignment in corresponding moves.
"I feel like I haven’t been at the big league level for about a year, so I feel like it’s a blessing to be here now and to have this opportunity," Inciarte said. "Just take it one day at a time, enjoy my time here. I know this team is competing to win the World Series and I’ll be happy to be a part of that."
Inciarte's last major-league game came on July 10, 2021, with the Braves. After missing time with a hamstring strain and being placed on the COVID IL, the 31-year-old was designated for assignment on July 24.
He slashed .215/.276/.316 in 52 games with the Braves last season. He was signed to a minor-league deal by the Yankees in the spring. In 34 games with Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, he slashed .252/.336/.408 with with four home runs, 11 RBI and 12 runs, but his ultimate goal was to get back to the MLB.
After leaving the Yankees, Inciarte said the first team to call was the Mets. He was back in the major-league clubhouse on Tuesday after four games in Syracuse.
"Honestly, Citi Field is a special place for me," Inciarte said. "A lot of great things have happened for me here. Anytime you get a chance to put on a big-league uniform, it’s a blessing.
"I’ve played a lot of games here in the past, obviously with a different team. Hopefully those memories I can relive those times with the Mets now."
Buck Showalter said before the game that Inciarte was brought onboard as a depth piece so Plummer could head down for more regular at-bats.
Travis Jankowski, who fractured the fourth metacarpal bone in his left hand in late May, recently resumed baseball activities. Until he returns, Inciarte, who is a career .280 hitter and a 2017 All-Star, will likely serve as the team's fourth outfielder.
Jeff McNeil returns
The dialogue between Showalter and Jeff McNeil is meaningful.
After McNeil exited the Mets' June 20 game against the Marlins with a tight right hamstring, the team took his return cautiously given his history with hamstring injuries last season.
McNeil was back in the starting lineup on Tuesday after missing the team's past five games against the Astros and Marlins.
"We’ll continue to monitor and more than anything listening to what Jeff is saying to us," Showalter said. " ... We’ve got a pretty good feel through him, he gets ahead of it when he says, ‘Hey, this is what I’m feeling and this is what’s happened in the past,’ if I can continue to go down that road and we’re listening to him."
McNeil said competing through similar injuries in the past helped him get ahead of this most recent ailment.
"I had some minor stuff throughout the year, so I know what’s hurt and what I can play through," McNeil said. "This is something that’s very, very minor and can easily keep going."
Max Scherzer pushed to Wednesday
After the team announced over the weekend that Max Scherzer would be making a rehab start with Class AA Binghamton on Tuesday, that assignment was pushed back a day to Wednesday.
"We’re listening to Max more than anything and the people that have been working him since this started," Showalter said. "I don’t know if that’s new, it’s just we continue to stay on top of what his body and everything he tells him. There’s no reason to rush it. We’re not going to make that mistake."
Scherzer has been on the 15-day injured list since suffering a moderate- to high-grade oblique strain on May 18.
He made his first rehab start with the Rumble Ponies on June 21, throwing 65 pitches across 3⅓ innings with two earned runs allowed and six strikeouts.
"He’s physically trying to present himself back in this picture," Showalter said. "You’ve got to be careful. This is an injury if we go too fast, you’re right back where you were again. We’re going to take every precaution possible, and I think Max understands that and appreciates it even though it can be frustrating for a guy as competitive as him."
Andrew Tredinnick is the Mets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Mets analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and download our app.
Email: atredinnick@gannett.com Twitter: @andrew_tred
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Ender Inciarte joins, Jeff McNeil returns from injury
