Photo By Ernest Dove

The New York Mets have placed catcher James McCann on the 10 day IL with a hammate bone injury. With McCann undergoing surgery and being shut down for at least six weeks, the Mets have recalled catcher Patrick Mazeika to take his place on the roster.

Mazeika, 28, has played 19 games for Triple-A Syracuse this season. He has split his time fairly evenly between catcher (8), first (6), and DH (5). He has struggled at the plate hitting .246/.364/.262 with one double and four RBI (85 wRC+).

Mazeika played 37 games in the majors last season batting .190/.253/.266. He had become a bit of a folk legend among Mets fans with his walk-off RBI. In fact, Mazeika would have two walk-off RBI before he would have his first hit.

With Mazeika in the majors, Nick Meyer will likely receive the majority of the starts behind the plate. In fact, Meyer has been the primary catcher for Syracuse this season, which isn’t too surprising considering he’s viewed as the strongest defensive catcher in the Mets system.

So far this year, Meyer is showing improvement at the plate. Through 19 games, he is hitting .246/.368/.368 with a double, two homers, and five RBI. His 107 wRC_ so far would stand to be a career best for him.

In other news, former Mets first round pick Kumar Rocker signed a deal with the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Frontier League. Last year, Rocker was not signed and not even given a contract offer after a review of his medical records.

The deal will permit Rocker to make approximately five starts prior to the 2022 draft.  Under the draft rules, the Mets would not be permitted to sign Rocker unless he consents to be drafted by the team.

In former Mets prospect news, the Seattle Mariners have optioned Jarred Kelenic to Triple-A. This came on the eve of the Mariners visit to Citi Field where there was bound to be a raucous crowd. The Mariners decision permits a struggling player to go down to the minors to work on his game while avoiding the extra attention which would’ve come with this road trip.