<p>NEW YORK -- Rick Ankiel has been designated for assignment by New York after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the Mets' 2-1 loss to the Marlins on Saturday. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who's batting .232 with Triple-A Las Vegas this season, will replace the outfielder.</p><p>Ankiel came in as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement in the Mets' 20-inning marathon and failed to record a hit as New York's offense faltered in extra innings. He's batting.188 this season (24-for-128), just .098 (8-for-82) since debuting with New York on May 2 and only had two hits in his last 35 at-bats.</p><p>He played 21 games with the Astros this season before joining the Mets and has struck out 60 times this season.</p><p>Nieuwenhuis has struggled at Triple-A, even in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but he has hit 10 home runs and batted .252 in 91 games with New York last season. He was just 2-of-16 in 13 Major League games this year. Harvey exits early with lower back tightness</p><p><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130608&content_id=50059384&notebook_id=50059506&vkey=notebook_nym&c_id=nym">Keep reading...</a></p>