• David Wright is scheduled to make his first Grapefruit League appearance Friday night against the Washington Nationals at Tradition Field. It is unclear if he will be playing in the field, or strictly a DH. Regardless of where he is playing, it’s great to see Wright out there ready to play.

• Steven Matz is scheduled to pitch after Jacob deGrom on Thursday afternoon, when the Mets head back to Jupiter to play the Miami Marlins.

• Jim Henderson has reportedly impressed Mets officials and coaches this spring with his performance thus far. Henderson has only allowed 1 ER in 5 innings, with 7 strikeouts. Henderson’s velocity has seemed to return as well, as his fastball has been clocked at 95 mph this spring. The Mets may opt to not carry a long-reliever if Henderson makes the team out of Spring Training, as the Mets have 4 off days, the first 2 weeks of the season.

• Aside from Matt Reynolds, Alejandro De Aza may benefit the most from the recent release of Ruben Tejada. De Aza who has been drawing significant interest from other teams, could be retained by the Mets as their best bat off the bench. De Aza also would be a proven veteran off the bench, that the Mets could count on now that Tejada is gone. I don’t see De Aza being moved before Opening Night unless the Mets receive an offer they can’t refuse.

• Chicago White Sox DH/1B and bonafide Mets killer Adam LaRoche is reportdily set to retire, citing personal reasons. The White Sox have given LaRoche a few days to mull over the descion before it becomes official. Ken Rosenthal reported this afternoon that the White Sox  front office no longer wanted LaRoche’s 14 year old son hanging out in the clubhouse, and as a regular fixture with the team which may be the personal reason LaRoche is citing. LaRoche ranks fourth among active players with 29 career home runs against the Mets, and was set to face the Mets when the White Sox come to Citi Field for a series the last week of May.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New York Mets announced the release of shortstop Ruben Tejada this afternoon, after being unclaimed on waivers. The Mets are only responsible for $500,000 of Tejada’s $3 million salary, and Tejada is now free to sign anywhere.

Tejada surprisingly went unclaimed on waivers, but much of that was due to the $3 million  he was scheduled to make this season. You can expect there to be a quite a bit of interest on the open market for Tejada’s services. Tejada has heavily been linked to the St. Louis Cardinals due to their opening at short, but their interest has reportedly been overblown by the media. Now that Tejada doesn’t carry a salary of $3 million, I would expect them to make a play for him, as well as other teams who are looking to round out their bench.

Matt Reynolds should be a virtual lock for the Opening Night roster at this point, with Eric Campbell also possibly in the mix as well for a spot. Both players will be considered bench depth, with Wilmer Flores scheduled to be the starting shortstop on Opening Night in Kansas City, if Asdrubal Cabrera is still injured.

• Zack Wheeler threw off the top of a mound this afternoon for the first time since his Tommy John operation. Wheeler previously threw 10 pitches from the slope of the mound last week. This is a huge step in Wheeler’s rehab from Tommy John surgery, and he is still slated to make his return on July 1st.

• Right-handed reliever Erik Goeddel threw a second bullpen session this afternoon. He is going to have one more session before getting into game action, with game action as early as possibly Sunday according to ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin.

• David Wright took some swings in batting practice, back at the Mets facility in Port St. Lucie today off of rehabbing pitcher Josh Edgin. Wright’s next steps will be determined after he meets with Terry Collins. I still strongly believe we will see Wright on Friday in game action at Tradition Field.

• It is also good news to see left-handed reliever Josh Edgin getting some work in this afternoon. Edgin who was becoming a dominant lefty, missed the entire 2015 season, and is recovering from Tommy John surgery as well. He is expected back with the big club around May 1st.

• Sirius XM’S Robert Brender reported today that former Mets pitcher Vic Black has undergone arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Black who is currently a free agent, most likely will sit this season out and rehab, with a return in 2017 most likely.

 

ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin is reporting that the New York Mets have placed shortstop Ruben Tejada on waivers this morning. There has been no comment made by General Manager Sandy Alderson as teams can’t discuss players on waivers. Tejada was reportedly on today’s travel roster to Jupiter to face the Marlins but his bag was never put on the team bus.

This move can be looked at as a move the Mets wanted to make for the sake of Tejada’s salary, as it was no longer a fit with the amount of depth the Mets have at shortstop. Tejada was due to be paid $3 million this season if he made the team, but due to the Mets making this move 15 days or more before Opening Night, the Mets are only responsible for $500,000 of his salary.

Asdrubal Cabrera will more than likely be back by the second week of the regular season, and until then Wilmer Flores and Matt Reynolds, will be capable of handling the shortstop position. Reynolds may get the majority of starts at shortstop during Spring Training, as Flores has been filling in at third base, while David Wright has been out of the lineup. Flores had shown improvement defensively at shortstop last season as the season wore on.

For Tejada, it’s a tough way to end his career in a Mets uniform. Tejada was pegged as the replacement to Jose Reyes, when Reyes left to the Miami Marlins, and Tejada struggled with consistency on and off the field. When Tejada’s leg was broken on the Chase Utley slide last postseason, this team rallied around Tejada, and Ruben came into camp  determined and in the best shape anyone in the organization had seen him in before. Tejada proving he is healthy this spring after the gruesome injury he suffered, helps his prospects of landing another job soon.  The St. Louis Cardinals who have an area of need at shortstop, figure to show the most interest.