Trot Nixon's return to the majors delayed

NEW YORK, June 14 (UPI) -- Trot Nixon's return to the major leagues was delayed Saturday night when the inter-league contest between the New York Mets and Texas Rangers was rained out.

The 34-year-old Nixon was acquired Friday from the Arizona Diamondbacks to shore up the Mets' injury-depleted outfield.

He arrived at Shea Stadium shortly before Saturday's scheduled 7:10 p.m. Eastern time start.

Nixon was playing for the Diamondbacks' Class AAA minor league affiliate in Tucson (Ariz.) of the Pacific Coast League, where he was hitting .309 with 10 homers and 31 RBI in 58 games.

"It's something that we need right now," General Manager Omar Minaya told New York Newsday. "The guy's a gamer. He's definitely a high on-base guy (and) he works the count."

Nixon comes to the Mets because Moises Alou (calf) and Ryan Church (post-concussion symptoms) are on the 15-day disabled list.

Nixon, formerly with Boston and Cleveland, has a career .275 batting average with 136 homers and 554 RBI.