Steve Spatafore / Submitted photoDarrell Ceciliani, of Madras, was called up to the New York Mets from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday and made his MLB debut.

A small Central Oregon community now boasts two big league outfielders playing baseball in the Big Apple.

Darrell Ceciliani, a 24-year-old from Madras, was promoted by the New York Mets from Triple-A Las Vegas, the Mets announced Monday. He entered Tuesday’s home game against St. Louis as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and hit an infield single before playing the final two innings in center field. He struck out swinging in the ninth to record the final out.

Ceciliani joins fellow Madras High School product Jacoby Ellsbury in New York. Ellsbury, a 2002 Madras High graduate, is currently in his second season with the crosstown Yankees, his ninth season in the major leagues.

Selected by the Mets out of Columbia Basin Community College (Pasco, Washington) in the fourth round of the 2009 draft, Ceciliani has spent six-plus seasons in the minor leagues.

In 37 games with the Pacific Coast League’s Las Vegas 51s this season, he is batting .336 in 113 at-bats, with five home runs and 17 RBIs.

Ceciliani bats and throws left-handed, like Ellsbury. A speedster and accomplished base-stealer, also like Ellsbury, Ceciliani has stolen six bases in eight attempts with Las Vegas this season and in his minor league career has stolen 115 bases in 155 attempts.

In Las Vegas, Ceciliani played under another Central Oregonian, 51s manager and longtime Prineville resident Wally Backman.

Born in the central California town of Tracy, Ceciliani grew up in Central Oregon and graduated in 2008 from Madras, where he was a multisport standout.

In a roster move corresponding with Ceciliani’s promotion, the Mets designated outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis for assignment. In his fourth major league season, all with the Mets, Nieuwenhuis was batting just .079.