Adeiny Hechavarria gets opportunity to compete for Mets' infield bench job

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. _ Sixty-five lockers line the walls inside the Mets' First Data Field clubhouse, and now every one of them has a tenant.

Adeiny Hechavarria's minor-league contract, with an invitation to big-league camp, became official Monday after he passed his physical. He was assigned what had been the only empty cubby, in between Robinson Cano and Jed Lowrie, a space that was previously vacant out of deference to those veteran infielders, who earned the extra room on account of their major-league service time.

The Mets hope Hechavarria, a 29-year-old infielder who has mostly played shortstop, can fill a hole on the field, too. There are an unspecified number of bench spots up for grabs this spring _ it depends on if Peter Alonso makes the team and if the Mets prefer a four- or five-man bench _ and Hechavarria has a shot at winning one of them.