Forget Chris Carter. What the hell is Nick Evans doing at Binghamton this time of year?

The Mets recently designated Mike Jacobs for assignment. After much soul searching on his part, and coming to the realization that no other organization in their right mind would offer him a major league job (not even a second go around with the Royals), he accepted a minor league assignment, and will move to AAA.

The Mets bizarre inclination to stash Jacobs at AAA, presumably to pour salt on an open wound as an emergency injury replacement, is bizarre enough when you consider the way Carter’s hit so far; it is incomprehensible when you see a still promising 24 year old Nick Evans at AA sporting an OPS of 1.115.

Carter is excellent, and should be on the fast track to the majors. He has mashed lefties this year and in that sense, brings something to the table that the Mets currently do not have – a patient guy capable of not completely embarrassing himself when a regular needs a break. There lies a big problem.

The Mets simply cannot score runs (13th in the NL). They coincidentally can’t seem to find enough at bats for guys like Cora and Matthews late in the game, though neither is remotely capable of hitting major league pitching. There’s no sense in further hand wringing when the writing is on the wall.

With Angel Pagan doing his best to lock up the center field job in Beltran’s absence, the Mets should move swiftly to call up both Nick Evans and Chris Carter. Both would not only provide mediocre versatility at multiple positions, as Cora and Matthews do, but both would also provide better at bats off the bench. Simply designating Frank Catalanotto and Gary Matthews, Jr. for assignment would provide the Mets with a more powerful, potent late inning bench. It would also give them the ability to post credible at bats in the event Jason Bay, Ike Davis, or Jeff Francouer need a day off.