Khalil Lee, Photo by James Farrance

Earlier it was reported outfielder Khalil Lee was designated for assignment by the New York Mets to make room on the 40 man roster for right-handed reliever Sam Coonrod, who was claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies. Apparently, that did not mean the end of Lee’s tenure with the organization.

With Lee facing criminal charges and a civil lawsuit related to allegations of domestic violence from his former girlfriend, he was able to clear waivers. The Mets opted not to release him and have instead outrighted him to Triple-A Syracuse.

Now, as reported by Tim Healey of Newsday, the organization as invited Lee to spring training. As he is no longer on the 40 man roster, he is a non-roster invitee.

Previously, the Mets have announced they will fully comply with the investigation into Lee’s alleged assault. The Mets did keep Lee on the roster after the criminal charges surfaced in August of last season.

Lee played in 100 games with Triple-A Syracuse last season. He hit .241/.371/.414 with 25 doubles, 10 homers, and 37 RBI. He was successful in 14/17 stolen base attempts. His 89 wRC+ at the level was a steep drop from the 162 he had posted over the previous season.

Strikeouts have always been a problem for Lee, and it become more pronounced last season with his strikeout rate increasing from 29.6% to 33.3%. As a result, he saw himself drop further down the organizational depth chart with players like Ender Inciarte, Nick Plummer, and Terrance Gore receiving more playing time and opportunities at the Major League level than Lee’s two plate appearances.

At the moment, the Mets only have four outfielders on their 40 man roster with all four of those players projected to make the Opening Day roster. As a result, addressing outfield depth at the upper levels of the minors has been an emphasis this offseason.

Lee is one of five non-roster outfielders who have been invited to spring training. The others are Abraham Almonte, Lorenzo Cedrola, Tim Locastro, Alex Ramirez, and DJ Stewart.