As the Mets wind down before the Thanksgiving holiday next week, they did some housekeeping by adding a number of minor league players to the 40-man roster.
Shortstop Amed Rosario, RHP Chris Flexen, RHP Marcos Molina, outfielder Wuilmer Becerra and catcher Tomas Nido are now officially part of the Mets and the 40-man now sits at 40.
The Mets needed to do these moves to protect their top prospects from teh Rule V Draft, scheduled for next month at the Winter Meetings.
Rosario, who turns 22 on November 20, was the 2016 organizational co-Player of the Year. He hit .324 (155-479) with 24 doubles, 13 triples, five home runs, 71 RBI, 19 stolen bases and a .374 on-base percentage in 120 combined games between St. Lucie (A) and Binghamton (AA). Rosario participated in the Futures Game in San Diego during All-Star weekend. He was a mid-season FSL All-Star and was voted the Most Exciting Player in the Florida State League by Baseball America. Rosario hit a walk-off homer in his first game of the 2016 season. He was promoted to Binghamton on June 23 and hit .341 (73-214) with the BMets.
Flexen, 22, went 10-9 with a 3.56 ERA (53 earned runs/134.0 innings) in 25 starts with St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League. The Mets’ 14th-round pick in 2012 has gone 26-20 with a 3.54 ERA (140 earned runs/356.0 innings) in 68 minor league games (64 starts).
Molina, 21, missed the 2016 regular season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He posted a 3.78 ERA (seven earned runs/16.2 innings) in seven games, two starts in the Arizona Fall League with Scottsdale. Molina issued seven walks and had eight strikeouts.
Becerra, 22, hit .312 (77-247) in 65 games for St. Lucie (A) before his season came to an end on July 20 when he underwent a capsule repair of his right shoulder. He was named a mid-season Florida State League All-Star adding 17 doubles and 34 RBI.
Nido, 22, won the Florida State League batting title, hitting .320 (110-344), including seven hits in in his final 10 at-bats. He was named to the mid-season and postseason FSL All-Star teams. Nido added 23 doubles, seven home runs and 46 RBI in 90 games to lead St. Lucie to the playoffs.