Bashlor sent to Triple-A; Rhame returns

Mets acquire lefty Hart off waivers from Brewers, assign him to Syracuse

August 4th, 2019

PITTSBURGH -- The Mets swapped one relief arm for another with a roster move on Saturday, then added some protection at Triple-A via the waiver wire.

New York recalled right-hander from Triple-A Syracuse and optioned right-hander , who allowed a three-run homer to Starling Marte in Friday’s 8-4 loss to the Pirates.

Rhame pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in the Mets’ 7-5 comeback win over the Pirates on Saturday night at PNC Park, giving up no hits and one walk.

Bashlor has had trouble commanding his pitches over his past two outings, across which he allowed six runs in 1 1/3 innings. His offspeed pitches have tended to miss the zone wide, while his fastball creeps back up over the middle of the plate to allow for hard contact.

“It’s hard to identify a reason,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said of Bashlor’s struggles. “Things go like that. Two outings ago, he was executing pitches on the corners and getting his breaking ball where he wanted to.”

The option to Syracuse will allow Bashlor, who had pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings after his recall on July 19 before his recent difficulties, to see more reps, which could help him pick up on what’s been going wrong for him.

“The one thing that’s tough in his position -- it’s not an excuse -- is you don’t get to pitch often,” Callaway said. “That’s just how it goes when you’re that guy on the staff. So it was a tough one for him last night, but he’s going to do everything he can to put himself in a better position next time.”

Rhame holds a 5.40 ERA after appearing in four games with the Mets this season.

New York also acquired Donnie Hart off waivers from the Brewers and optioned him to Triple-A. Hart, a left-hander, has appeared in only four games this season, allowing no runs in 6 2/3 innings. He owns a career 3.17 ERA in 97 appearances, 93 of them with the Orioles between 2016-18.

“It sounds like he’s a lefty that can be effective if he’s making pitches,” Callaway said. “So another depth piece for us, and we’ll get him to Triple-A and see what he can show us.”