Monday was an eventful day for the New York Mets' transaction log, and the Boston Red Sox had their fingerprints all over it.
First, the Red Sox pulled off a rare September trade, sending 34-year-old minor league journeyman Eddy Alvarez to New York in exchange for cash considerations. After playing 114 games in Triple-A for the Boston organization this season, Alvarez will get his shot at the majors again.
To make room for Alvarez on the active roster, though, the Mets had to create a 40-man roster spot. And they did so by letting go of a player for whom many Red Sox fans will always have a soft spot.
According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets designated utility infielder Pablo Reyes for assignment as the corresponding move for calling up Alvarez. Reyes, 30, appeared in 85 games for the Red Sox between 2023 and 2024.
Last season, Reyes was one of the few bright spots on a Red Sox team that ultimately finished in last place. He was an afterthought, added from the putrid Oakland Athletics' minor league roster, but came up big for Boston in several clutch spots, including a memorable walk-off grand slam.
After a horrific start to his 2024 campaign, however, Reyes was let go by the Red Sox at the end of April. The Mets picked him up and he spent most of this season with Triple-A Syracuse before New York called him up when rosters expanded.
Reyes' Mets tenure will be an interesting bit of trivia if he never returns to the big-league club in New York. He appeared in just one game, he did not get an at-bat, but he did manage to score a run as a pinch-runner in a 2-0 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 1.
Now, Reyes is in the all-too-familiar position of fighting to keep his big-league dreams alive. But no matter what happens, those 2023 memories with the Red Sox will always be a high point.
