Angels claim Mets discard Hansel Robles off waivers

The man known for pointing to the sky is now a Halo.

Hansel Robles’ days in the Mets organization are over. Saturday afternoon, the Angels announced they had claimed the erratic right-handed reliever off waivers from the Mets and optioned him to Triple-A Salt Lake. Former Mets catcher Rene Rivera was transferred to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Robles on the 40-man roster.

The up-and-down Robles had mostly struggled with the Mets, posting a 5.03 ERA while allowing seven home runs over 19 2/3 innings this year. On Wednesday, he was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas, and designated for assignment Friday.

The Mets had to make room on the 40-man roster for young reliever Drew Smith, who was called up before the series opener and made his major league debut Saturday, tossing a scoreless inning in relief.

The hard-throwing Robles had struggled immensely in recent years, and while he struck out 229 hitters over 208 innings spanning four seasons with the Mets, he also allowed 32 home runs. The average of 1.4 homers per nine innings is the second-worst in Mets history (minimum 200 innings pitched) behind Pedro Astacio’s 1.6, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.