Bisons add Valentin

The Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets, today announced that free agent C Javier Valentin has been added to the Buffalo Bisons roster. C Rafael Arroyo has been transferred to St. Lucie (A).

The Mets also announced yesterday that they have selected the contract of RHP Nelson Figueroa and optioned LHP Jonathon Niese to the Bisons.

Valentin, 33, has spent each of the past six seasons in the major leagues and has played 631 career big league games with Minnesota, Tampa Bay and Cincinnati. Last year for the Reds, Valentin hit .256 (33-129) with eight doubles, four home runs and 18RBI in 94 games. He led all Reds pinch hitters with 13 hits, three doubles and 12RBI. In the three seasons from 2006-2008, his 34 pinch-hit RBI were second in the major leagues (Philadelphia Greg Dobbs -35).

Javier Valentin is the younger brother of long-time Mets INF Jose Valentin. Jose hit .243 with 249 home runs and 816RBI in 16 big league seasons (1992-2007) with Milwaukee, Chicago-AL, Los Angeles –NL and the Mets.

Niese, made two starts for the Mets after being recalled from Buffalo on May 6. He was 0-0 with a 5.91ERA in 10.2 innings of work (14H, 7R, 7ER, 2BB, 10K). In 2009 with the Bisons, Niese is 0-2 with a 6.55ERA in five starts (22.0IP, 29H, 20R, 16ER, 8BB, 25K). In his last start with the Herd, May 1 vs. Louisville, the southpaw struck out a season-high eight batters and allowed just one run in six innings of work.