Mets Call Up Nine-Time All-Star Reliever Craig Kimbrel, DFA Lefty Lovelady The New York Mets made roster adjustments on Saturday by calling up nine-time All-Star reliever Craig Kimbrel and designating left-hander Richard Lovelady for assignment. The move clears space on the 26-man active roster, with Kimbrel joining the team after a long journey through multiple organizations. Kimbrel, 37, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in January that guaranteed him $2.5 million for the season once he was added to the active roster. He opted to remain with the organization after not making the Mets’ Opening Day roster, despite having a rolling opt-out clause that would have allowed him to sign with another team if presented with a major league opportunity. According to a source, Kimbrel chose to stay with the Mets, continuing to work on his physical conditioning and pitching mechanics during spring training. “I think towards the end of camp, I was feeling pretty good,” Kimbrel said. “It just might have been a little too late. In the last two weeks, I’ve just been focusing on maybe putting on a little bit more weight. I’ve been in the weight room quite a bit and just continue working on the pitches I’ve been working on, and I’ve been pretty happy with how they’ve progressed. The velocity has been pretty good and consistent. The body feels good.” Kimbrel made his major league debut on Saturday, throwing a scoreless seventh inning in the Mets’ 11-6 loss to the Athletics. The inning included two strikeouts, marking his fourth consecutive scoreless frame for the team. Kimbrel stayed in Port St. Lucie, Florida, after the Mets broke camp for the regular season, where he appeared in one game for Low-A St. Lucie. He tossed a perfect inning with one strikeout, throwing nine pitches and touching 94.2 mph.#atlanta_braves #new_york_mets #carlos_mendoza #craig_kimbrel #richard_lovelady
