NEW YORK (AP) The struggling New York Mets made a couple of roster changes Friday, cutting Hansel Robles and demoting fellow reliever Paul Sewald to the minor leagues.
Right-hander Drew Smith and outfielder Kevin Kaczmarski were called up from Triple-A Las Vegas before the opener of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Robles was designated for assignment, removing him from the 40-man roster. New York has seven days to trade, release or send him outright to the minors. The right-hander was 2-2 with a 5.03 ERA in 16 appearances during his fourth season with the Mets. He allowed seven home runs and walked 10 in 19 2/3 innings.
''Hansel's been with us quite a while. We've seen him pitch well. We've seen him pitch less well. We've got a number of other young relievers, some of whom we acquired last year at the trade deadline, we want to take a look at,'' general manager Sandy Alderson said. ''So we just felt it was time to take a look at a couple of additional people. We're excited to see what Drew Smith can do for us.''
Sewald and fellow right-hander Chris Flexen were optioned to Las Vegas following Thursday's loss at Colorado. Sewald was 0-4 with a 4.85 ERA in 26 games, and Flexen had an 11.57 ERA in 2 1/3 innings.
Smith, obtained from Tampa Bay last July for first baseman Lucas Duda, was 4-1 with three saves and a 2.88 ERA in 23 combined games at Double-A Binghamton and Las Vegas this year.
Kaczmarski was batting .346 with a .416 on-base percentage in 33 combined games between Class A St. Lucie and Las Vegas. He missed time while recovering from hernia surgery.
Smith and Kaczmarski were both looking to make their major league debuts.
New York began the day 31-41 and fourth in the NL East after losing 20 of its previous 26 games
''Given where we are currently, realistically, I think it's important for us to see what other people can do,'' Alderson said. ''Drew Smith, Kaczmarski, let's see what they can do within the framework of trying to win some games immediately over the next few weeks. But what we're trying to do is make sure we're as competitive as we can possibly be over the next couple of weeks while at the same time not being afraid to try out new faces.''
In another move, injured reliever A.J. Ramos (right shoulder surgery) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.
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