Never a bad thing to have a versatile switch-hitter around camp, even if he sticks around only long enough to fill spring training boxscores and gets selected off waivers by the Blue Jays after a single big-league at-bat.

Yes we’re talking about Ty Kelly, who just like last year has been invited to camp as a non-roster minor leaguer. He’s a hustler, he can get on base, he strikes a bit too much, he looks like a regular guy.

Ty Kelly was issued 55 as a 2016 Met, then switched to 56 after the Mets reacquired Kelly Johnson that year. After Kelly was claimed off waivers No. 56 went to Tyler Pill. Turns out this week that Pill, who had a smattering of OK and not-OK appearances last year before elbow surgery is now a minor-league free agent, so 56 is available again.

In other news, Chasen Bradford was cut from the 40 to make room for Adrian Gonzalez and was claimed by the Mariners, surrendering No. 46.

The Mets are due soon to set a numerical roster for Spring Training, where there are about 17 guys due to be issued numbers.

Thanks to friends at the Queens Baseball Convention for having me out to provide a little uni-number perspective last week. At the event special guest Chris Flexen expressed his support for remaining in No. 64 despite perhaps preferring 27 or 33 but deferring those assignments to respective incumbents Juerys Familia and Matt Harvey.

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