Mets recall righty Torres from Triple-A Las Vegas

NEW YORK -- Faced with the prospect of losing right-handed pitcher Carlos Torres to a contract technicality, the Mets on Saturday selected Torres' contract from Triple-A Las Vegas and optioned right-hander Greg Burke to the Minors. Torres will be in uniform for Sunday's series finale against the Cubs.

To make room for Torres on the 40-man roster, the Mets designated right-hander Collin McHugh for assignment. They now risk losing McHugh to another team's waiver claim.

Torres, 30, had a mid-June opt-out date written into his contract, allowing him to seek free-agent deals elsewhere if the Mets did not promote him. So they made the move and optioned Burke, who escaped a bases-loaded jam in Saturday's game.

Torres was 6-3 with a 3.89 ERA in 12 starts at Vegas, striking out 67 batters and walking 19. A veteran of the Rockies and White Sox, Torres holds a 5.97 ERA in 44 career Major League games.

His resume may have blemishes, but rather than risk losing Torres, the Mets chose to risk losing the younger McHugh. Though McHugh struggled in three appearances with the Mets this season, including a spot start, he also posted a 2.87 ERA in nine starts at Vegas as a 25-year-old.

The move also forced the Mets to option Burke, whose submarine delivery had yielded just one earned run since the Mets recalled him on May 12. Burke's 0.71 ERA over that span was by far the best of any pitcher who spent significant time in New York.

The Mets are not done making moves either, needing to clear roster space for Zack Wheeler to join the team next week. Scott Atchison is also nearing a return from the disabled list, meaning the Mets may need to dump two more relief pitchers in the coming days.