Stewart was signed as a non-roster invite in January, and the 31-year-old can opt out of his contract Monday if he’s not added to the 40-man roster. Assuming he’s not, Stewart should see interest from other clubs, but likely to another minor league contract.

It’s one of the better landing spots for Stewart to compete for a bench spot as the Pirates are a bit thin from a depth perspective at the moment. The 31-year-old showed some signs of life over the last two years with the Mets, but struggled last season to a pedestrian .622 OPS with five homers in 194 plate appearances for New York. He can be safely ignored for fantasy baseball purposes.

Stewart showed some flashes in New York over the last two years, but basically stopped hitting for power this past season, finishing with a lackluster .622 OPS with five homers in 194 plate appearances. The 30-year-old former first-round pick has never quite lived up to those expectations, but he’s managed to stick around in a bench role. It’s fair to wonder if there will be another opportunity out there for him heading into 2025.

Stewart was optioned to make room for Luisangel Acuna on the active. The Mets need another infielder with Jeff McNeil out for the season and Francisco Lindor dealing with a back issue. Stewart hit .177 with five home runs and 19 RBI for New York this year.