New York Mets release Bobby Abreu, recall Kirk Nieuwenhuis
By Hayden Kane
The fact of the matter is, veteran outfielder Bobby Abreu probably lasted longer than he or anybody on the New York Mets expected him to.
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Having caught on with the club in April because of his continued ability to work a good at-bat and get on base, Abreu managed to stay on the roster this long despite the fact that he was struggling in the one area where the Mets truly needed help: coming off the bench as a pinch hitter.
So it was that the Mets released Abreu on Monday and recalled outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis from Triple-A.
Anthony DiComo of MLB.com writes the following about the team’s moves:
"Signing with the team as a Minor League free agent earlier this season, Abreu was initially successful, but finished his tenure in an 0-for-13 funk at the plate. Appearing mostly late in games off the bench, Abreu batted .065 as a pinch-hitter.“It’s not that easy coming off the bench, especially when you’re used to playing every day,” Abreu said."
Presumably Abreu did not actually believe the Mets wanted him to play every day, even in his most optimistic moments, though one never knows I suppose.
Abreu was out of baseball for the entire 2013 season, making his ability to come back at all impressive in itself. In total he batted .238/.331/.336. Let’s be clear: Abreu will be able to work a big league walk well into his 60’s. He will now be replaced by Nieuwenhuis, a career .237 hitter himself, who continues a back and forth journey between the big leagues and the minor leagues.