Former Yankees slugger Gary Sánchez is reportedly set to return to New York as he attempts to revive his career.
The two-time All-Star catcher has signed a minor league deal with the Mets, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
The signing comes a week after Sánchez’s release by the Giants, following the catcher’s request to exercise his May 1 opt-out from his deal with the team. He struggled after being assigned to Triple-A Sacramento, batting .164 with no home runs, eight RBIs and 19 strikeouts in 16 games.
Sánchez will remain at the level in the Mets organization and will report to Syracuse according to SNY’s Andy Martino.
The catcher made his MLB debut with the Yankees in 2015, and made his first of two All-Star appearances with the club in ’17, the same season he won the Silver Slugger Award. In 122 games, he hit .278/.345/.531 with 33 home runs and 90 RBIs. That was the last season in which Sánchez hit above .232, plummeting to .186 in ’18. He rebounded a bit in ’19, hitting a career-high 34 home runs and slashing .232/.316/.525, making his second All-Star Game, but has struggled since.
In ’22, he moved on to the Twins, hitting 16 home runs and 61 RBIs, but batted just .205 in 471 plate appearances on the year.