Mets sign Jose Reyes to minor league deal

The New York Mets have signed shortstop Jose Reyes to a minor league deal on Saturday, they announced. 

The team assigned Reyes to the Brooklyn Cyclones, the team's Short Season Class A affiliate. There, he will not only play shortstop but also fill in at third base and in the outfield. 

The Rockies placed Reyes on release waivers on Thursday, making him eligible to become a free agent today. 

Reyes was suspended the first 52 games this season due to a domestic violence incident that occurred last offseason while he was in Hawaii. When eligible to return, the Rockies designated him for assignment. 

Now, he heads to the Mets, who are struggling offensively due to injuries to major cogs in the batting order.

Third baseman David Wright is in danger of missing the rest of the season due to a herniated disk in his neck. First baseman Lucas Duda is out four-to-six weeks due to a stress fracture in his lower back. 

They acquired James Loney to fill the hole at first, and he has played well there so far. But at third, they've been forced to turn mostly Wilmer Flores, who has an 83 OPS+. 

Since Wright went on the disabled list on May 28 (retroactively), the Mets are 11-14 and have scored just 3.2 runs per game. Their team OPS of .706 in June is fifth-worst in the Majors and fourth-worst in the National League. 

The 33-year-old Reyes has certainly lost a step offensively but may still be a viable option at numerous positions once he appears in the Major Leagues, whenever that may be. 

In 519 plate appearances with the Blue Jays and Rockies last season, Reyes hit for a .274/.310/.378 clip with seven home runs, 53 RBI and 24 stolen bases in 116 games. He walked 26 times and had 62 strikeouts. 

According to FanGraphs, Reyes was worth 0.5 Wins Above Replacement.

Reyes spent most of his big league career with the Mets, playing there from 2003 to 2011. He hit for a .782 OPS with the team and averaged 57 stolen bases per 162 games. Reyes was also named to four All-Star teams with New York's National League squad. 

--Devan Fink

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