NEW YORK — The Mets are taking a chance on Pablo Reyes, the veteran utility man who was designated for assignment by the Yankees earlier this week.

Reyes signed a minor-league deal with the Mets on Saturday. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com was first to report the news.

This is Reyes’ seventh big-league season. He made the Yankees’ Opening Day roster as a non-roster invitee at camp this spring and he stuck around in pinstripes up until this past Monday. Reyes was the corresponding subtraction to make room for Giancarlo Stanton’s return from the injured list.

Two days later, Reyes elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment.

Reyes, 31, barely played with the Yankees before he was cut loose. He appeared in just 24 games, batting .194/.242/.226 across 34 plate appearances. He was used at five different positions on the diamond (including pitcher during the Yankees’ blowout loss in Los Angeles against the Dodgers on May 31).

This is a return to the Mets organization for Reyes. He played in 63 games with Triple-A Syracuse last year, traded from the Red Sox to the Mets in May for cash considerations. Reyes was called up to the Mets at one point late in the season and he made one single appearance, scoring a run as a pinch runner before getting designated for assignment and outrighted back to the minors.

In Reyes’ career, the Dominican utility man is a .245 hitter with a .648 OPS over 257 games. His best chance to make it back to the big leagues with the Mets is his versatility on defense, providing depth if somebody gets hurt.

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Max Goodman may be reached at mgoodman@njadvancemedia.com.