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General manager Brodie Van Wagenen announced Sunday that Cespedes is opting out of the 2020 season for concerns related to COVID-19, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The 34-year-old never showed up to the ballpark for Sunday's game in Atlanta, and he apparently didn't inform the Mets that he was planning to opt out until the game was already underway, according to Tim Healey of Newsday. Cespedes is set to finish the season having appeared in eight games and going 5-for-31 with two home runs and four RBI. The veteran slugger is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2020 season. Dominic Smith seems the likely candidate to take over as the Mets' primary designated hitter.

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