Rick Ankiel has elected to become a free agent.

Ankiel was designated for assignment by the Mets last week after batting just .182/.239/.364 with 25 strikeouts in 71 plate appearances. The 33-year-old former pitcher will presumably try to latch on with a new organization.

The Mets are expected to designate Rick Ankiel for assignment before Sunday's game in order to make room on the roster for Kirk Nieuwenhuis.

The 33-year-old outfielder is hitting just .188/.235/.422 with seven homers, 18 RBI and 60 strikeouts through 128 at-bats on the season after an 0-for-4 effort on Saturday. After being dismissed by the Astros and Mets, he'll likely have to settle for a minor league deal elsewhere.

Rick Ankiel went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Friday's loss to the Marlins.

Ankiel has predictably slowed down after his hot start with New York, collecting just two hits in his last 22 at-bats. Still, the Mets figure to keep running him out there in center field against right-handers for the time being. He's not really an option outside of deeper NL-only leagues.

Rick Ankiel tripled and doubled twice against the Reds on Wednesday.

The triple should have been a double, too, but Xavier Paul fell down in left field twice on the play. Ankiel is now 10-for-31 with seven extra-base hits as a member of the Mets. It probably won't last, but it's nice to see him doing well. His career was in danger of being over when the Astros let him go.

Rick Ankiel went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer Saturday against the Cubs.

Ankiel is 6-for-20 (.300) with two homers, four RBI and six strikeouts since joining the Mets earlier this week. The 33-year-old is not going to hit for a high batting average, but he has enough pop to be useful in NL-only leagues as long as he gets regular at-bats in center field.

Rick Ankiel went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI but the Mets fell to the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Ankiel singled in the top of the second inning and then hit a game-tying two-run homer in the top of the seventh. But the Mets wound up losing their third straight game in St. Louis. Ankiel is 2-for-8 since joining New York.

Mets manager Terry Collins said Monday that Rick Ankiel and Juan Lagares will platoon in center field.

Ankiel will start against right-handed pitchers while Lagares will play against southpaws. We're not expecting much in the way of batting average, but Ankiel could provide enough pop to hold some value in NL-only formats.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports that outfielder Rick Ankiel has agreed to a deal with the Mets.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the Mets are "in talks on a deal" with outfielder Rick Ankiel.

Ankiel was released by the Astros last week after batting .194 with a .231 on-base percentage and 35 strikeouts over 65 plate appearances. He did hit five homers, and could add some needed pop to the Mets' roster.

Astros released OF Rick Ankiel.

Ankiel cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. While the 33-year-old had five homers, he was hitting just .194/.231/.484 with an ugly 35/3 K/BB ratio. It's telling that the worst team in baseball didn't have use for him anymore, so he could struggle to find another opportunity with an MLB club.