NEW YORK — The Mets are determined to see how strong Gary Sanchez’s bat holds up.
The team added the Dominican to its active roster on Friday ahead of Game 1 of New York’s series against the Guardians. The eight-year veteran will share the catching spot with freshman Francisco Alvarez and the designated hitter spot with other players.
It’s a low-risk, potentially high-reward bet for a team that has struggled with its power production in recent weeks. When Sanchez became a free agent earlier this month, the Mets signed him to a minor league deal, with the stipulation that he could be out of contract if they didn’t add him to the roster by May 19.
Along with Sanchez, the Mets added a 30-year-old two-time All-Star who posted a .195/.287/.394 offensive line over the past three seasons with the Yankees and Twins. It has been four years since his last All-Star season, a season in which he hit 34 home runs with a .841 OPS for the Yankees.
Since joining Triple-A Syracuse, Sanchez has hit .318 with a 1.077 OPS in seven games, splitting time between catcher and designated hitter.
The Mets now want to see if he can replicate that kind of production at the highest level. In the near term, with Omar Narvaez (left calf strain) and Tomas Nido (dry eye syndrome) on the disabled list, Sanchez should get plenty of opportunities behind the plate. Until Narvaez and Nido return in the next two or three weeks, the team should have a better idea of what Sanchez can contribute.
Sanchez is also likely to take the DB spot from Daniel Vogelbach, Tommy Pham, Mark Kanha and Mark Vientos.
