Keon Broxton's struggles at the plate have finally reached a breaking point as the Mets decided on Friday to designate the 29-year-old outfielder for assignment while selecting the contract of Carlos Gomez to join the team as an extra outfielder.
The Mets also placed Michael Conforto on the 7-day IL for a concussion and recalled pitcher Paul Sewald from Triple-A Syracuse.
GM Brodie Van Wagenen announced the moves prior to Friday's game against the Marlins in Miami, where Gomez was in the lineup playing fight field and batting sixth.
Van Wagenen said he believed that Gomez puts the Mets in the best position to win games in the short-term than Broxton. He added that Broxton's comments about being upset over playing time did not factor into the decision.
Broxton was acquired by the Mets in January in a trade that sent minor-leaguers Adam Hill and Felix Valerio and pitcher Bobby Wahl to the Milwaukee Brewers.
While Broxton was an above-average outfielder defensively, he struggled mightily at the plate and received little playing time. Broxton hit a slash line of .143/.208/.163 with one extra-base hit, four walks and 22 strikeouts in 53 plate appearances.
The Mets have seven days to either trade Broxton or place him on waivers. If he clears waivers, the Mets can assign him to the minors or release him from his contract.
Conforto, who exited Thursday's game against the Nationals after colliding with Robinson Cano, was diagnosed with a concussion and under went further evaluation Friday in New York.
Van Wagenen said that everything went well but Conforto will refrain from activities over the next few days and will be re-evaluated again on Monday.