PHOENIX (AP) - The scrambling New York Mets put shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday and added reliever Neil Ramirez to their battered bullpen.
Cabrera went on the DL retroactive to Sunday. He is sidelined with a sprained left thumb.
Ramirez signed a contract calling for a $750,000 salary in the major leagues and $150,000 in the minors, joining his third big league team this month. He was expected to be available for Tuesday night’s game at Arizona.
“Looks like he’s got a good arm and some experience, so we certainly are in need of a guy that can come out of the bullpen,” manager Terry Collins said.
New York had lost five in a row going into Tuesday night. The relief corps had given up seven homers and compiled a 13.80 ERA over 15 innings during that stretch.
Collins said his conversations with pitching coach Dan Warthen of late regarding his staff have been “ugly.”
“We throw out a lot of stuff, and ultimately they’ve got to make pitches,” Collins said. “That’s what it’s all about. We’ve had situations where we’ve tried to hand out instructions on how to go about things, and it’s got to get executed.”
Ramirez, who turns 28 next week, had an 8.71 ERA in nine games for San Francisco this season, striking out 18 in 10 1/3 innings. His deal with the Mets calls for performance bonuses of $25,000 each for 30 and 40 relief appearances.
The right-hander was cut by the Giants and signed by Toronto on May 5. He didn’t pitch for the Blue Jays and was released four days later. Last year, Ramirez played for the Cubs, Brewers and Twins.
As a rookie in 2014, Ramirez pitched in 50 games for the Cubs, going 3-3 with three saves and a 1.44 ERA. He has held right-handed hitters to a .218 batting average during his career.
To make room for Ramirez on the 40-man roster, the Mets transferred closer Jeurys Familia to the 60-day DL. He is expected to return to the team late this season after having surgery last week for a blocked artery near his right armpit.
Cabrera has not played since aggravating a thumb injury last Saturday in Milwaukee. He is batting .257 with three home runs and 14 RBIs.
The veteran switch-hitter joins a crowded Mets disabled list that also includes ace Noah Syndergaard, slugger Yoenis Cespedes, catcher Travis d’Arnaud, and pitchers Steven Matz and Seth Lugo.
Jose Reyes was set to fill in at shortstop again Tuesday, with Wilmer Flores playing third base.
In other news, the Mets plan to skip struggling rookie Robert Gsellman the next time through the rotation. In his place, Jacob deGrom will start on his regular four days of rest Friday night at home against the Los Angeles Angels.
Gsellman will move to the bullpen for now. The right-hander is 2-3 with a 7.06 ERA in seven starts and one relief appearance this season.
New York is off Thursday and next Monday, giving the team a chance to tweak its rotation while still keeping its other healthy starters on full rest.
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