Player News
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Mesoraco accepted a position in June as a volunteer assistant for the University of Pittsburgh baseball team, Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com reports. Since refusing to accept a minor-league assignment last March while he was a member of the Mets organization, Mesoraco hasn't explored playing opportunities within or outside of affiliated ball. With the 32-year-old now getting into coaching, it appears safe to conclude that his playing days are over. A 2014 All-Star, Mesoraco spent parts of eight seasons in the big leagues with the Reds and Mets, slashing a collective .232/.309/.406 with 58 home runs in 1,574 plate appearances.
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Mesoraco appears to be retired and doesn't appear on track to rejoin the Mets, even after they designated Travis d'Arnaud for assignment Sunday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. Mesoraco is officially on the restricted list after refusing a minor-league assignment. He would currently be the Mets' third option at catcher behind Wilson Ramos and Tomas Nido if he wanted to keep playing baseball. It's unclear at this point whether his stance would change should an injury to Ramos or Nido open up a roster spot, but even if that did happen, his long time away from the game would likely mean that he wouldn't be able to step right into a big-league job.
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Mesoraco will be placed on the restricted list after declining a minor-league assignment, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. As expected, Mesoraco will shift to the restricted list after failing to make the Opening Day roster and refusing a minor-league assignment. He'll likely elect to retire following this latest development.
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Mesoraco is expected to retire, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports. The Mets, who informed Mesoraco over the weekend that he wouldn't be on their Opening Day roster, are expected to place the backstop on the restricted list, as he has no plans to accept his minor-league assignment (and the Mets don't want to release him). Should he call it quits, Mesoraco will end his career with a .232/.309/.406 triple-slash over parts of eight seasons.
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The Mets informed Mesoraco on Saturday that he wouldn't be included on their Opening Day roster, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports. Since the veteran catcher has no opt-out clause in his contract, the Mets may simply release him -- or even place him on the restricted list -- if he expresses no interest in a minor-league assignment. Mesoraco plans to contemplate his options and hope another team has a sudden need for extra depth behind the plate over the next few days.