Robinson Canó, the veteran second baseman, was designated for assignment by the New York Mets on Monday, likely ending his time with the team. At the start of the season, the Mets still owed Canó $40.5 million of his contract, per Spotrac.

Canó missed the 2021 season while on MLB suspension after he tested positive for a performance enhancing drug, the second positive PED test of his career.

The 39-year-old, an eight-time All-Star, returned this season but struggled through 12 games, hitting .195 (8-for-41) with 11 strikeouts and one home run.

In 2014, the Seattle Mariners signed Canó to a 10-year, $204.26 million contract that runs through the 2023 season. In 2018, Canó was traded to the Mets in a blockbuster deal that included closer Edwin Diaz in exchange for the Mets sending outfielder Jay Bruce, relievers Anthony Swarzak and Gerson Bautista, and then-prospects Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn to Seattle.

Monday marks the deadline for MLB teams to trim their rosters from 28 players to the standard 26. And on Sunday, after their 10-6 victory over the Phillies in New York, Mets manager Buck Showalter said of the pending cuts: "It’s going to be painful."

Mets general manager Billy Eppler said Monday that when he presented owner Steve Cohen with the baseball operations department's options for roster cuts and the recommendation to DFA Canó, along with the financial impact, Cohen told him to "Make the baseball decision."

Along with Canó's designation, the Mets also optioned RHP Yoan López to Triple-A.

(Photo: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports)

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Mets designate 8-time All-Star Robinson Canó for assignment

Why didn't the Mets show Canó more patience?

Andy McCullough, senior MLB writer: It’s a fair question. Teams often choose the path of least resistance in these scenarios. The Mets could have retained Canó, waiting to see if he could replicate his play from 2020, while optioning Dominic Smith, Luis Guillorme or J.D. Davis to the minors.

But that, the team determined, would have weakened the 26-man roster in the present, even if it maintained its flexibility for the future. And you could argue, as the Mets clearly did, that after two suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs, Canó’s OPS wasn’t going to rise much higher than .501.

It looked like a matter of time. The Mets acted sooner rather than delaying the inevitable.

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How will their lineup adjust without Canó?

McCullough: Dominic Smith should get a runway to play more often, specifically as the designated hitter or at first base when Pete Alonso is the DH. Smith had a four-hit night on Sunday, which made his potential demotion even more unlikely.

The Mets would like to see if Smith, a former first-round pick, can play like he did in 2019 and 2020. They needed to give him at-bats to find out. This is the way forward.