MILWAUKEE — Adeiny Hechavarria’s opt out from his minor league contract and Dominic Smith’s relative lack of playing time prompted the Mets to tweak their 25-man roster Friday.
In something of a surprise move, Smith was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse and Hechavarria’s contract was selected. The veteran Hechavarria will give the Mets a legitimate backup option at shortstop, which had been lacking recently.
“Defensively [Hechavarria] is going to allow us to double switch and he can play a lot of different positions,” manager Mickey Callaway said before the Mets faced the Brewers at Miller Park.
Hechavarria, 30, arrived on a minor-league contract in spring training and contained a May 1 opt out.