Former All-Star Matt Kemp released by Mets after stint in minors

MIAMI – Former three-time All-Star outfielder Matt Kemp has been released by the New York Mets.

Kemp signed a minor league contract with the Mets on May 24 and played in eight games for Triple-A Syracuse, hitting .235 with one home run and three RBIs.

“We’re going to exhaust every effort we can to find the best players we can and we’ve got a couple of veteran guys we have tried out, some work, some don’t,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said.

The 34-year-old Kemp made the NL All-Star team last season in his second stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers, finishing with a .290 batting average, 21 home runs and 85 RBIs.

He was traded to Cincinnati in the offseason as part of a deal with Yasiel Puig and appeared in 20 games for the Reds this season, hitting .200 with one home run and five RBIs before sustaining a broken rib after colliding into the outfield wall during a game in San Diego on April 21.

“I like Matt,” said Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly, who was Kemp’s manager for four seasons in Los Angeles. “He was a great player and I still think there’s something in there, to be honest with you. I know he’s had some injuries and that always slows you down.”

“He got hurt early in Cincy. He had a great first half last year. I think there’s still something in the tank. He’s not old and it’s just a matter of getting playing and getting healthy,” he said.

Kemp is a career .285 hitter with 281 home runs and 1,010 RBIs in 14 seasons. He was the NL MVP runner-up in 2011 and a two-time Gold Glove winner.

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