Mets call up veteran closer Craig Kimbrel

The New York Mets called up nine-time All-Star reliever Craig Kimbrel on Saturday.

Kimbrel, 37, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in January.

Kimbrel ranks fifth all-time with 440 career saves. He led the National League in saves in four straight seasons with the Atlanta Braves, starting with his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2011.

He tallied 39 saves for the San Diego Padres in 2015 and recorded more than 30 saves in three straight seasons for the Boston Red Sox (2016-18) before his performance started to decline.

He bounced around with seven major league teams over the past seven seasons. Last season, Kimbrel pitched in 42 minor league games for the Braves, Texas Rangers and Houston Astros organizations and made just 14 appearances in the majors, 13 coming with Houston and one with Atlanta.

Overall, he is 56-48 with a 2.58 ERA in 851 career relief appearances.

In a corresponding move, the Mets designated left-hander Richard Lovelady for assignment.

Lovelady, 30, is 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA in six relief appearances this season with the Mets.

He is 6-14 with a 5.25 ERA in 124 career relief appearances with the Kansas City Royals, then-Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, and Mets.

--Field Level Media