The Mets announced that they have signed veteran outfielder Roger Bernadina to a minor league deal with an invite to Major League camp. He adds some much needed depth for the Mets at the Triple-A level where the outfield was lacking a veteran which I talked about recently.

Bernadina didn’t play in the Majors last year for the first time since making his debut with the Washington Nationals in 2008. The 31-year old had a strong season in AAA with the Albuquerque Isotopes hitting .276/.383/.466 with 15 homeruns, 66 RBI, and stole 20 bases.

He is a career .236/.307/.354 hitter in the big leagues over 1323 at bats between the Nats, Phillies, Reds, and Dodgers. His best season came in 2012 when he had a .777 OPS for the Nats and was a 1.0 WAR player in 129 games.

Roger has the ability to play all three outfield positions, he has rated as a plus defender in the corner spots (3 DRS/LF & 8 DRS/RF) while being a below average in center field with -3 defensive runs saved.

The left-handed hitter has fared better against righties in his career (.672 OPS) than lefties (.600 OPS). He has performed well in the clutch during his big league career hitting .264/.346/.381 with runners in scoring position.

He will add to the AAA 51’s to start the season forming an outfield that includes Travis Taijeron, Jayce Boyd, Kyle Johnson, Ty Kelly, and Brandon Nimmo depending on his recovery from his latest injury.