QUEENS, NY — The New York Mets optioned infielder Luisangel Acuna to Triple-A Syracuse prior to Monday’s four-game series opener against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field.
Acuna had fallen out of the infield rotation in recent weeks amidst struggles and the return of Ronny Mauricio. Batting .313 through his first 29 games of the season, the 23-year-old was slashing a paltry .154/.191/.154 (.345 OPS) with two RBI in his last 65 at-bats, prompting manager Carlos Mendoza to mostly use him as a pinch-runner or late-inning defensive replacement.
That role will now fall to Travis Jankowski, whose contract was selected from Triple-A on Monday, for the time being. New York had also sent down struggling catcher Francisco Alvarez to Triple-A on Sunday.
“I feel like right now, we’ve gotten to a point where we need to get him going,” Mendoza said. “We need to get him some everyday at-bats, and with Jankowski being here, we feel like we have that pinch runner off the bench for late in games.”
It was just one of a flurry of roster moves, as the Mets also optioned right-handed pitcher Tyler Zuber to Triple-A. Left-handed reliever Richard Lovelady was signed to a one-year contract and is available immediately.
Lovelady, 29, has appeared across six different MLB seasons with the Kansas City Royals, Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and Tampa Bay Rays before joining the Toronto Blue Jays this season. In two appearances (1.2 innings pitched), he allowed four runs on two hits with three strikeouts and two walks.
“Lefty, kind of a low slot, the sinker, the slider, he has a sweeper now, too,” Mendoza said of Lovelady. “Tough left-on-left. He just adds another weapon there out of the bullpen that we can continue to mix and match.”
Acuna’s demotion initially suggests that third baseman Mark Vientos was ready to return to the big-league club after suffering a hamstring strain on June 3, but his absence in the Mets’ roster moves suggests that he needs a bit more time to find his bearings before returning to Queens.
He will play nine innings at third base in Syracuse on Tuesday and will likely DH on Wednesday.
“Then we’ll see where we are,” Mendoza said. “But he’s feeling better, so it’s just more like getting the volume up now.”
Following his breakout 27-home-run season last year, Vientos had been struggling in 2025, batting .230 with six home runs and 21 RBI in 53 games.
