The New York Mets designated longtime catcher Travis d'Arnaud for assignment and recalled catcher Tomas Nido from Triple-A, the team announced on Sunday.
After undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery last April, d'Arnaud made his return to the Mets on April 7. Since then, d'Arnaud is hitting just .087 on the season (2 for 23). The 30-year-old has struggled both offensively and defensively. In Saturday's 8-6 loss to the Brewers, d'Arnaud garnered boos from Mets fans at Citi Field. When d'Arnaud started behind the plate this season, the Mets were 0-5.
Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen spoke to the media after the announcement.
The Mets acquired d'Arnaud in 2012 as part of the December trade with the Blue Jays that also netted Noah Syndergaard for R.A. Dickey. At the time, d'Arnaud was ranked by MLB.com as the 11th-best prospect in all of baseball and the best catching prospect. He was a first-round draft pick (37th overall) by the Phillies in 2007 and was later sent to Toronto in the trade that sent Roy Halladay to the Phillies in December 2009.
D'Arnaud hit a career-high 16 homers and slugged a.443 in 112 games during the 2016 campaign. Injuries have plagued d'Arnaud's career, and he's only played in more than 100 games twice in seven MLB seasons.
This past offseason, the Mets signed Wilson Ramos to a two-year, $19 million deal and he has since taken over as the team's starting catcher. Nido began the year with the Mets for the first week but made just six plate appearances without reaching base.
