Mets Activate Jorge Polanco, Designate Alex Carrillo

The Mets announced that infielder Jorge Polanco has been activated from the 60-day injured list. He’ll rejoin the club tonight. Right-hander Alex Carrillo was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster, and fellow infielder Ronny Mauricio was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to open a spot on the 26-man roster. New York also confirmed the DFA of righty Guillo Zuniga and selected the contract of newly acquired righty Matt Seelinger, both of which were first reported earlier this afternoon.

Polanco, 33, has been out since mid-April due to an Achilles injury. The Mets signed the longtime middle infielder to a two-year, $40MM contract this past offseason on the heels of a rebound season with the Mariners. New York was largely set up the middle but still added Polanco with the idea of getting him frequent work at first base and designated hitter.

Instead, injuries have limited Polanco to only 14 games. He’s totaled 61 plate appearances and has just a .179/.246/.286 slash with a homer and three doubles. He’s walked five times (8.2%) against 11 strikeouts (18%).

With Marcus Semien sidelined for awhile due to a Grade 3 hip flexor strain, the Mets could plug Polanco back into the mix at his customary second base. There’s no solidified option at first base or at designated hitter either, which will give interim manager Andy Green some options to mix and match. Young infielders Brett Baty and Mark Vientos have both had one strong season recently — Vientos in ’24, Baty in ’25 — but struggled since.

If Polanco is back to his typical form, he’d be a boon for the Mets’ offense. The switch-hitter mashed at a .265/.326/.495 pace and swatted 26 homers in 138 games as a Mariner last year. Polanco has been a well above-average hitter nearly every season dating back to 2018. He had a down year in the shortened 2020 season and a below-average 2024 in Seattle while playing trough a knee injury that required eventual surgery. Even with that pair of ugly seasons skewing things, Polanco ran a .262/.331/.448 line from 2018-25.

Mauricio heads back to Syracuse increasingly looking like a player whose chances with his current organization are dwindling. The Mets reinstated Mauricio from a nearly eight-week absence 12 days ago. He started five games between that return and today’s option, tallying 18 plate appearances. Mauricio has appeared in 17 games this season and hit .180/.180/.260 in 50 plate appearances. He’s in his final minor league option year but has only 342 big league plate appearances under his belt, during which he’s batted .226/.278/.345.

The trio of Mauricio, Baty and Vientos gave Mets fans varying levels of optimism over the years, but the returns of Polanco and Francisco Lindor, coupled with Bo Bichette‘s hot streak dating back to mid-May, will further diminish playing opportunities for that group. Solid play from rookies Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing have solidified the outfield, too, leaving even fewer opportunities for that once-promising trio (Mauricio, Baty, Vientos) — all of whom look like viable change-of-scenery candidates.

As for the 29-year-old Carrillo, he’s spent the entire season in Syracuse. The Mets originally signed him out of indie ball back in November of 2024. He made a brief big league debut last July but allowed seven runs in 4 1/3 innings. Carrillo posted a huge 36.2% strikeout rate in Triple-A last year but a concerning 14.7% walk rate. His K-BB profile has gone the wrong direction in ’26. He’s fanned a still-strong but diminished 29% of opponents against a mammoth 24.3% walk rate. That’s led to a 5.57 ERA in 21 innings.

Carrillo hasn’t pitched in more than a month with the Mets’ Syracuse affiliate. The team didn’t specify an IL placement for him, but if he’s indeed out with an injury he’ll need to be released, assuming the Mets can’t find a trade partner. Injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers. The Mets have five days to look around for a trade partner before they’d need to request release waivers.