But the 37-year-old Diekman allowed three runs and four hits in two innings in two games against Atlanta last weekend and was named to a new role before the season opener against Minnesota on Monday night.

“It’s not easy, especially when you’re dealing with a player like Diek who has been here from day one, spring training, until now, and has been in this league for a long time. And he was such a professional,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.

“He was always willing to pick up the baseball. And when things were tough for him, during his struggles and things like that, he was always available. He always wanted to be there. But we got to the point where we had to make a decision.”

Diekman has struck out 40 batters and walked 24 in 32 innings. He is 27-34 with a 3.91 ERA and 19 saves in 13 Major League seasons with nine teams.

New York has seven days to trade him, release him or send him directly to the minor leagues. He has the right to refuse this assignment in favor of free agency.

Acquired in a cash deal from the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 7, Gage will be looking to make his first major-league appearance of the season. He is 0-1 with a 1.83 ERA in 16 games and 19 2/3 innings with Toronto (2022) and Houston (2023).

The 31-year-old Gage grew up about 200 miles from Citi Field in upstate New York and attended Siena College outside Albany. He had three saves in five outings with Syracuse, striking out seven and walking two in 5 1/3 scoreless innings.

“Throws over the top. The two-seam, the cutter, can get righties and lefties,” Mendoza said. “I’ve been watching the film since we got him a couple weeks ago. So yeah, he’s here, ready to go, and he’s going to get opportunities.”

Depleted by a spate of injuries, New York’s bullpen has been in constant flux all season as president of baseball operations David Stearns tries to improve a shaky unit. Veteran right-handers Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek were acquired in trades this month.

“We’ve been dealing with it all year. It always happens. It’s always evolving, you’re always looking for the next one and how can you get better?” Mendoza said. “It’s been a little bit of a challenge, to be honest. But trust the guys we have there and we’ll keep giving them opportunities.”

Of the eight relievers on the Mets’ Opening Day roster, Adam Ottavino and closer Edwin Díaz are the only ones who remain in the bullpen. New York has blown 16 of 44 save opportunities, and nine pitchers, the most in the major leagues, have earned a save this season — tied for the second-most in franchise history.

The Mets rank 19th in the majors with a 4.09 bullpen ERA, but that number is 3.08 in 38 innings since the All-Star break.

Still, the Mets entered the day with the final wild-card spot in the crowded battle for the National League playoffs.

“You have to get familiar with a lot of these guys, you don’t know how comfortable they are with back-to-back, multiple innings, how quickly they recover,” Mendoza said. “Situations in the game — you want to give them a clean inning, or get them in with runners on. So there’s a lot to learn from a lot of these guys that you’re not really familiar with, and that’s really the biggest thing.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb