NEW YORK — Catcher Travis d’Arnaud has been activated by the New York Mets, nearly one year after he had Tommy John surgery to repair a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
D’Arnaud was reinstated from the 10-day injured list before Sunday’s game against Washington, and the Mets optioned catcher Tomas Nido to Triple-A Syracuse.
“It feels good. It was a long road,” said d’Arnaud, who did not start in the series finale. “It took a village to get me back here and I’m very grateful to be back and be back in the big leagues.”
The 30-year-old was 2 for 7 with one walk and one RBI in two injury rehabilitation games with Class A St. Lucie. He is a .245 career hitter with 47 homers and 162 RBIs in 397 games over parts of six seasons with New York.
D’Arnaud last appeared in a major league game on April 8 last year, and Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek operated on April 17. A regular starter before he got hurt. D’Arnaud is expected to back up Wilson Ramos, who signed a two-year, $19 million deal in December.
D’Arnaud has a $3,515,000 salary and is eligible for free agency after this season.
“Just whenever they need me to play, I’ll be ready to play,” d’Arnaud said. “He’s a great person and I’m excited to work with him all year.”