Mets to hold workout for Cuban star Gourriel

New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said the club has scheduled a private workout for Cuban infielder Yulieski Gourriel as it considers options to replace injured third baseman David Wright.

Gourriel and his younger brother Loudes defected from the island nation during a visit to the Dominican Republic in February, when the pair reportedly abandoned the hotel where the Cuban national team was staying.

The elder Gourriel, 31, is among the most decorated players to have ever played in Cuba and has been on the radar of major-league teams since his first World Baseball Classic in 2006. He hit .488/.569/.858 with 11 home runs and just one strikeout in 35 games last year with Industriales, and played 15 years in the Series Nacional.

Alderson's comments come less than 24 hours after a report indicated the club was considering Gourriel, as well as a reunion with free-agent shortstop Jose Reyes. Others reports have suggested the Mets are less likely to pursue Reyes in the wake of his domestic violence case and subsequent suspension.

"We always evaluate talent and character," Alderson said Tuesday when asked about the Reyes rumors. "With respect to character, those are things we look at."

The Mets have been struggling of late, with the losses and injuries piling up, frustration in Queens is clearly setting in.

Amid injuries to Wright, Lucas Duda, Travis d'Arnaud, and Juan Lagares, the Mets have gone 21-25 since the beginning of May, and were overtaken by the Miami Marlins for second in the NL East on Sunday.

"I think we might need to do something before that, because the deadline is still four-to-six weeks away," Jeff Wilpon, the club's chief operating officer, told ESPN's Adam Rubin on Monday. "We've got to start playing better baseball now."