New York Mets designated hitter Yoenis Cespedes has decided to opt-out of the 2020 season.
This comes after a strange sequence of events that took place on Sunday, starting with the Mets organization being unable to find Cespedes, who never showed up for the scheduled game against the Atlanta Braves, which the Mets ended up losing 4-0.
Earlier in the day, Mets General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen released a statement saying that the team could not reach or find Cespedes, who failed to report to the stadium and join the team.
Reports say that Cespedes packed his things and left his hotel room without contacting anyone from the Mets organization. Later in the day, Cespedes contacted the team through his agent, saying that he was fine, but that he is choosing to sit out this year due to concerns related to COVID-19.
It’s a fittingly strange end to his tenure with the Mets. Cespedes missed a majority of the last two years with various leg injuries, first having surgery on both heels and then breaking his ankle during a reported run-in with a wild board at his ranch in Florida.
Cespedes will be an unrestricted free agent next year.
