Mets acquire Michael Perez from Pirates who needs receiver

The suddenly caught and desperate Mets added a backstop before the trade deadline, but not Chicago’s or Triple-A Syracuse’s.

On Saturday, the Mets traded fifth-year wide receiver Michael Perez in a second trade to the Pirates in as many days, though this one was less notable than the acquisition of Daniel Vogelbach.

It’s Perez, not the Cubs’ Willson Contreras (at least not yet) or Francisco Alvarez (at least not yet), who comes to Queens for financial considerations after the Mets lose their top two receivers.

James McCann is sidelined for weeks with an oblique stump, and Tomas Nido left Friday’s loss with a bruised hand sustained in a cross-up with Max Scherzer, who hit Nido in the left wrist .

Nido left the match “pretty badly,” manager Buck Showalter said. The Mets have not announced anything further about Nido’s status.

Without their top two receivers, only Patrick Mazeika is healthy and on the active roster.

Perez, a 29-year-old Puerto Rican, was designated for assignment Friday after hitting .150 with six home runs in 39 games with Pittsburgh. He’s been bouncing between the minors and the majors since 2018, his first three seasons with the Rays.

Infielder Travis Blankenhorn, who was called up Friday, has been designated for an assignment.