Photo by Ed Delany

To make room for LHP Justin Wilson on its 40-man roster, the New York Mets announced Monday that 2B Gavin Cecchini was designated for assignment.

Cecchini, 25, was the organization’s first-round draft pick (12th overall). He made his major league debut in September of 2016 and ultimately received 89 plate appearances, his most recent coming on the final day of the 2017 season.

Cecchini has been a solid performer in the minor leagues, recording a wRC+ of 128 in his Triple-A debut in 2016. He got off to a fast start in Las Vegas in 2018, slashing .294/.342/.468 through 30 games, but he took a pitch off of his foot on May 9 and missed the remainder of the season.

With the Mets’ newfound infield depth, bolstered by the acquisitions of Robinson Cano, Jed Lowrie, and J.D. Davis and the emergence of Jeff McNeil, Cecchini was viewed as expendable by Brodie Van Wagenen. As seen previously this offseason with players such as Wilmer Flores, Jamie Callahan, and Rafael Montero, the new regime has been quick to move on from the depth it had inherited from Sandy Alderson’s tenure.

Because Cecchini was drafted in 2012, players from his draft class that failed to reach the major leagues exited their organizations as six-year minor league free agents following the 2018 season. From the Mets’ 2012 draft class, Corey Oswalt (7th round), Tomas Nido (8th), Paul Sewald (10th), Chris Flexen (14th), and Tim Peterson (20th) remain in the organization.