Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets have announced right-handed reliever Tommy Hunter and outfielder Tim Locastro have been added to the 40 man roster. Both players are going to be on the Mets Opening Day roster.

Hunter, 36, signed a minor league deal with the Mets this offseason with an opt out clause it he did not make the Opening Day roster. His chances of making the roster increased after Edwin Díaz suffered a season ending knee injury during the World Baseball Classic.

Hunter did earn a spot with a strong spring. Hunter pitched nine scoreless innings over his seven appearances. He would strike out 11 while only walking one batter.

This will make the third straight season Hunter pitches out of the Mets bullpen. Last season, he made 18 appearances going 0-1 with a 2.42 ERA, 1.209 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, and an 8.9 K/9. For much of the year, he would deal with lower back tightness stemming from his having multiple disk herniations.

Locastro, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in January. The Mets made room for him on the Opening Day roster after designating Darin Ruf for assignment.

Locastro played in 38 games for the New York Yankees last season. He hit .186/.239/.349 with a double, two homers, and four RBI. More notably, he was successful in 8/10 stolen base attempts.

The expectation is Locastro will serve the role Travis Jankowski held for the Mets much of last season. Locastro has a sprint speed of 30.1 ft/sec. That was tied for seventh fastest in the majors last season.

In his career, Locastro has been successful in 39 of 44 stolen base attempts (88.6%). With the Mets having some slower players throughout the lineup, he could become a weapon late in games. The Mets will also need his speed all the more with Major League Baseball re-instituting the automatic runner at second base in extra inning games.