NEW YORK -- In a surprising move Monday, the New York Mets cut veteran reliever Jake Diekman and promoted fellow left-hander Matt Gage from Triple-A Syracuse.
Diekman was 2-3 with a 5.63 ERA and four saves in a team-high 43 appearances after signing a $4 million, one-year contract with the Mets in February. He earned a huge save at Yankee Stadium last Tuesday, striking out red-hot slugger Aaron Judge with a runner aboard in the ninth inning of a 3-2 victory.
But the 37-year-old Diekman allowed three runs and four hits over two innings in a pair of outings against Atlanta over the weekend, and was designated for assignment before Monday night's series opener against the Minnesota Twins.