The New York Mets are bringing back infielder Pablo Reyes on a minor league deal, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. Reyes, who recently elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Yankees, will report to Triple-A Syracuse.
Now 31, Reyes is a veteran of parts of seven MLB seasons. This marks his second straight year with the Mets organization. He began the 2024 season with the Red Sox before being traded to New York in May 2024. During his brief stint with the Mets last year, he appeared in just one game as a pinch runner, scoring a run before being designated for assignment and sent to the minors.
Outside of his short stint with the Mets in 2024, Pablo Reyes has spent time in several MLB organizations, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers, and Pirates. He broke into the majors with Pittsburgh in 2018, showing early promise with a .293/.349/.483 line over 18 games. However, he couldn’t sustain that production in 2019, and his trajectory was further derailed by a PED suspension that kept him out for the entire 2020 season. He left the Pirates soon after.
Reyes latched on with the Brewers on a minor league deal ahead of the 2021 season and spent parts of two years with the club, putting up a serviceable but below-average .258/.330/.344 line (84 wRC+) across 56 games.
His best stretch came with Boston in 2023, where he played 64 games as a middle infield platoon option and slashed .287/.339/.377 (93 wRC+) while posting a career-best 11.4% strikeout rate. Unfortunately, that solid showing now looks more like an outlier. Since then, Reyes has struggled mightily, batting just .187/.237/.220 (26 wRC+) with a 29.6% strikeout rate in 98 plate appearances between the Red Sox and Yankees over the last two seasons.
While Pablo Reyes isn’t likely to provide much offensive value, his defensive versatility and speed give him a path to staying relevant as a bench option at the MLB level. That utility profile—paired with his experience at multiple infield positions—keeps him on the radar for teams like the Mets, especially in the face of injuries.
With both Nick Madrigal and Mark Vientos currently sidelined, the Mets’ infield depth is already being tested. Prospects Luisangel Acuña and Ronny Mauricio are on the big league bench, but either could be sent to Triple-A if the club prefers they get regular reps. In that scenario—or if another injury crops up—Reyes could find himself in the mix for a call-up. He’ll be competing with fellow non-roster infielders like Donovan Walton and David Villar for that “next man up” role.
