Mets make flurry of roster moves; DJ Stewart, Joey Lucchesi outrighted, elect free agency

The Mets announced a few roster moves on Monday, including sending OF DJ Stewart and LHPs Joey Lucchesi and Matt Gage outright to Triple-A.

Stewart and Lucchesi elected free agency while Gage will return to Syracuse.

New York caught lightning in a bottle with Stewart in 2023 after they signed him to a minor league contract during the offseason and promoted him to the majors in early July. In 58 games, the outfielder smacked 11 home runs with a .839 OPS.

The Mets re-signed Stewart to a one-year contract, but he got off to a disappointing start in 2024. His struggles continued throughout the summer and he was eventually optioned to Triple-A after New York traded for Jesse Winker. In 74 games, Stewart slashed .177/.325/.297 with five home runs.

Lucchesi started twice for the Mets in 2024, including the final game of the regular season, and went 0-2 with a 5.23 ERA. The 31-year-old spent three seasons in New York but was used sporadically, appearing in 22 games (19 starts). The lefty went 5-6 with a 3.78 ERA through 95.1 innings after starting his career with the San Diego Padres.

Additionally, the Mets also reinstated RHPs Paul Blackburn, Sean Reid-Foley and Christian Scott as well as INF Ronny Mauricio from the 60-day IL.

Blackburn, Reid-Foley and Scott all pitched for the Mets at various points of the 2024 season while Mauricio was out for the entire year recovering from a torn ACL.