Wilfredo

Tovar

Tovar appeared in 12 games for the Mets back in May and spent the remainder of the year at Triple-A Syracuse. The 30-year-old middle infielder should be able to land a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training this offseason.

Tovar went 2-for-11 with four strikeouts in a stay with the Mets before being designated for assignment on Tuesday. He will either report to Triple-A, or elect free agency.

Tovar went 2-for-11 with four strikeouts during his two-week stay on the Mets’ active roster. The 29-year-old middle infielder is a career .188/.242/.232 hitter in 46 games at the major league level.

Tovar is filling the roster spot left vacant by Kevin Pillar, who landed on the injured list Tuesday with multiple facial fractures. Tovar, 29, is a career .188/.241/.238 hitter in 110 plate appearances at the MLB level.

Deivy Grullón will reportedly be designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. The Mets are dealing with a wave of injuries and Tovar will be asked to be a stopgap. The 29-year-old previously played in nine games with the Mets between 2013-2014 and hit just .193/.239/.253 over 88 plate appearances during his last stint in the majors with the Angels in 2019. He’s purely depth for now.

Tovar originally came up in the Mets’ minor league system, but he’s bounced around different organizations in recent years. He signed a minor league deal with the Twins last offseason before a positive diagnosis for COVID-19 during summer camp. The 29-year-old is a .188/.241/.238 hitter over 110 plate appearances in the majors and will function as upper-level depth in 2021.

Tovar tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month. He was in camp with the Twins on a minor league deal.

Tovar had been working out at the Twins’ auxiliary summer camp site in St. Paul. He’ll have to be free of symptoms and test negative twice in order to return. The 28-year-old infielder signed a minor league contract with Minnesota this winter after batting just .193/.239/.253 over 88 plate appearances with the Angels in 2019.

After a four-year absence, Tovar, who debuted with the Mets as a 21-year-old in 2013, got some major league time with the Angels last season, hitting .193/.239/.253 in 88 plate appearances. He’ll serve as Triple-A infield depth at the beginning of next year.

It’s the second time since late June that Tovar has cleared waivers after being removed from the 40-man roster. He could have elected free agency if he wanted, but it appears he’ll remain in the Angels’ organization as infield depth.