The New York Mets said Monday they have signed Japanese left-hander Ken Takahashi to a minor league contract after the Toronto Blue Jays released him earlier in the day.
The 39-year-old Takahashi joined the Blue Jays in February on a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training after spending 14 seasons in Japan, all with the Hiroshima Carp. But he suffered a strained right calf when he sprinted off the mound to field a bunt in his first outing for the Blue Jays in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 1.
The Blue Jays assigned Takahashi to minor league camp on March 15.
"I have no problem with my leg," Takahashi said at the Mets' spring training site in Port St. Lucie, Florida. "The Mets are famous in Japan. I just go out and play with passion."
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