Carlos Gomez’s recent lack of playing time and the Mets’ need for a roster spot translated into his departure from the club Sunday.
The veteran outfielder was designated for assignment as Noah Syndergaard returned from the injured list to pitch against the Braves at Citi Field.
Syndergaard got a no-decision, giving up three runs and seven hits in 5 ²/₃ innings in an 8-5 Mets win. He struck out five, walked one and gave up one home run.
In 34 games, Gomez had a .198/.278/.337 slash line with three homers and 10 RBIs. Gomez had been selected from Triple-A Syracuse in May to provide bench depth.
“We thought just at this point five bench players was probably not a necessity,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “We always want to make sure we are not overstressing our pitchers as well. We have do a lot of days off, but we felt at this point that would be the best move for the team.”
Chris Mazza’s performance on Saturday in relief may have contributed to the decision.
The 29-year-old rookie, who was selected from Syracuse last week to provide an extra arm, threw four innings of relief in his major league debut Saturday in which he allowed only one run.
The 33-year-old Gomez, signed to a minor league deal during spring training, was in his second stint with the Mets, after coming up through the system and getting dealt to the Twins as part of the trade for Johan Santana following the 2007 season.