NEW YORK -- The scuffling New York Mets demoted a promising young player to the minors for the second straight day, sending utilityman Luisangel Acuña to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday ahead of their four-game series against his older brother Ronald and the Atlanta Braves.
Catcher Francisco Alvarez, the Mets' primary starter behind the plate the past three seasons, was optioned to Syracuse on Sunday before New York fell to the Philadelphia Phillies for its eighth loss in nine games.
The reasoning for the moves, however, is different. The Mets believe Alvarez could use a less pressurized environment to find a rhythm at the plate while playing every day instead of taking a backseat to backup catcher Luis Torrens in the majors.
Acuña, meanwhile, saw his playing time plummet over the past month as others emerged, and the team did not want to stall his development. Acuña, 23, has played in 65 games for the Mets this season, but he started just five of 27 games since May 24, primarily contributing as a pinch runner and defensive replacement late in games, after starting 32 of the Mets' first 51 games. His production dropped as his playing time decreased. Overall, he slashed .241/.293/.283 in 158 plate appearances.
"He had a really good April when he was getting consistent playing time, and he helped us win a lot of baseball games," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "And then I think it was a combination, obviously, some of the other guys producing and then he became kind of like that role guy that helped us win a lot of baseball games with defensive versatility, with the way he ran the bases.
"He was impacting games, but it got to the point now where it's getting very difficult to get him some playing time for his development and where we're at in the regular season. What we want to see is for him to get at-bats, play every day."
The Mets replaced Acuña with veteran outfielder Travis Jankowski, who was called up from Syracuse to serve as the team's chief late-inning pinch-running option and a possible defensive replacement.
The club also signed veteran left-hander Richard Lovelady to a major league contract Monday. Lovelady has pitched for five teams over six major league seasons. This season, he tossed 1⅔ innings in two relief appearances in late March for the Toronto Blue Jays. He then signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins and appeared in 19 games for Triple-A St. Paul, compiling a 1.31 ERA before he opted out of the deal to become a free agent.
Right-hander Tyler Zuber was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to make room on the active roster for Lovelady.