Mets Sign Veteran Outfielder To Boost Depth

The New York Mets have added some outfield depth.

On Monday, the Mets signed veteran outfielder Ben Gamel to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, as the team announced.

Gamel, 31, appeared in just six games in the major leagues last season, which came with the San Diego Padres. During this brief stint, he slashed .200/.200/.267 with a .467 OPS, zero home runs and two RBIs in just 15 at-bats.

For his career, Gamel has never been a star, but a serviceable bat, posting a .252/.332/.384 slash line and .716 OPS in eight seasons. As an outfielder, he hasn't made a living on his defense, as he has produced negative or zero defensive runs saved in each year of his career.

As a depth option in the upper levels of the minor leagues, adding Gamel on a minor league deal makes sense for the Mets, who need to cover themselves in case they lose center fielder Harrison Bader, who has dealt with a slew of injuries over the past three seasons, to the injured list. In addition to Bader, Brandon Nimmo dealt with the injury bug across multiple seasons up until the past two campaigns.