ATLANTA -- Battling through injuries and staring down the path of a career Minor Leaguer, Mike Nickeas came close to quitting baseball.

Now, he is a Major Leaguer.

The Mets selected the contract of Nickeas on Thursday, allowing him to join the club in Atlanta, where he is in the process of buying a home. His wife, Rebecca, whose family is from the area, picked him up at the airport.

"It's still surreal," Nickeas said. "I literally pinched myself a couple times just to make sure it was really happening. It's a great feeling."

Nickeas, 27, nearly quit baseball this past winter after nagging injuries limited him to 61 at-bats the previous season. But, he said, "My gut told me not to quit," and so Nickeas returned to Double-A Binghamton to start this season.

After a brief stretch at Triple-A Buffalo, Nickeas, who hit .276 with five home runs in 293 Minor League at-bats this season, joined the Mets to provide them with catching depth down the stretch. Although they aren't likely to use him more than sporadically, Nickeas is still, finally, a Major Leaguer.

The catcher's wife, her family and co-workers, and scores of his friends were in attendance Thursday.

"It's crazy when you kind of put your nose down and work through it," Nickeas said. "Good things happen."