The Mets released veteran infielder/outfielder Andy Ibáñez, who’d been playing for their Triple-A affiliate, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. New York picked him up off waivers from the A’s in late April and then passed Ibáñez through waivers a few weeks later. He’s been with the Mets’ Syracuse affiliate since that time.
Ibáñez, 33, has taken 26 plate appearances between the A’s and Mets this season. They haven’t gone well. He’s 2-for-23 with a pair of singles, a walk, two sacrifice flies and three strikeouts. He’s spent the bulk of the year with the Mets’ Triple-A club, where he’s slashed .269/.295/.429 with five homers in 157 plate appearances.
It’s been a tough few years for Ibáñez. During his prior run with the Tigers, he was one of manager A.J. Hinch’s go-to bats versus left-handed pitching. Ibáñez batted a career-best .264/.312/.433 (103 wRC+) with 11 homers in 383 plate appearances during the 2023 season — including a .261/.297/.523 line versus lefties. He’s taken 463 big league plate appearances since and turned in a bleak .232/.287/.340 performance.
The right-handed-hitting Ibáñez hasn’t hit much in recent seasons but still carries a career .272/.316/.437 slash against southpaws. He has experience at all four infield positions in the majors, albeit only nine innings at shortstop, and in both outfield corners. Ibáñez is only an emergency option at shortstop at this stage of his career, but he has above-average marks for his glovework at every other infield spot and has graded about average in 171 corner outfield innings in his career.
Depth is paramount this time of season, particularly with the trade deadline in the rearview mirror and few means of bringing in talent from outside the organization. Ibáñez should draw interest from clubs looking for help against lefties and/or depth at various infield positions. He’s unlikely to command a major league offer but should find another Triple-A opportunity before long.
