New York Mets activate slugger from IL in lineup boost

Marte was seen running the bases at Citi Field prior to Monday night's 7-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels. It appears the Mets had seen enough to deem the veteran slugger ready to come off the IL.

Marte first landed on the IL with a bone bruise in his right knee back on July 7, one week prior to the All-Star break. Marte only had to miss 10 games of action as he was able to make his way back to the big-leagues rather quickly.

The return of Marte should provide a solid boost to the Mets' lineup given the 36-year-old is slashing .270/.353/.387 with a .740 OPS, four home runs and 20 RBI in 58 games.

The Mets are without the other half of their DH platoon in Jesse Winker, who went down with a back injury on July 10. Unlike Marte, Winker's recovery timeline looks a lot murkier. Winker received an epidural last Friday and was shutdown from baseball activities for 7-10 days.

With Winker still on the mend, the good news for the Mets is that Marte is now back and healthy for their lineup.

In addition to activating Marte from the IL, the Mets made a flurry of roster moves. Right-handed pitcher Justin Garza was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. As a result, right-hander Kevin Herget was optioned to Triple-A and righty Chris Devenski was designated for assignment.

The Mets also announced that left-handed pitcher Brandon Waddell had his optional assignment reversed. This is because Waddell is being placed on the 15-day IL with a right hip impingement (retroactive to July 19).

Righty reliever Rico Garcia, who was re-claimed on Monday, has reported to the Mets and will be active for Tuesday night's game.