MLB Player News

Plawecki, who will be placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday after being diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his left hand, won't require surgery and could be sidelined as little as 2-to-3 weeks with the injury, Steve Gelbs of SportsNet New York reports.

Plawecki was fortunate to only sustain a minor fracture to his hand after being hit by a pitch in Wednesday's win over the Marlins, so it doesn't appear that an extended absence will be in store for the backstop. However, since Plawecki is due to miss more than the minimum 10 days and fellow catcher Travis d'Arnaud (elbow) is out indefinitely with a torn UCL, the Mets could look outside the organization to address their depth at the position. The Mets are expected to add Jose Lobaton to the 40-man roster Friday to complement recent Triple-A callup Tomas Nido behind the plate, but don't be surprised if the team also puts in a waiver claim for another veteran catcher in Miguel Montero, who the Nationals designated for assignment earlier this week.

Plawecki will be placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday after being diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his left hand, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Plawecki had been hit in the hand by a pitch Wednesday, but initial X-rays returned negative, suggesting a lengthy absence wouldn't be in store for the backstop. However, a follow-up MRI revealed the hairline fracture, making Plawecki the second Mets catcher to hit the DL this week after Travis d'Arnaud (elbow) was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear that will sideline him indefinitely. Tomas Nido has already been recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to provide depth behind the plate, and it's expected the Mets will add veteran Jose Lobaton to the 40-man roster to provide another presence behind the plate. Neither Lobaton nor Nido are viewed as starting-caliber catchers at the MLB level, so the team could be active on the trade market in pursuit of an upgrade at the position with both Plawecki and d'Arnaud likely due to miss more than the minimum 10 days.

Plawecki broke his hand after being hit by a pitch Wednesday, the New York Post reports.

Initial reports held that Plawecki had avoided a broken hand, but it now appears that he was not so lucky. Assuming that this latest report is accurate, Plawecki will be out for an extended period. That's bad news for the Mets, who are already set to miss Travis d'Arnaud for a long time with a partially torn UCL. Jose Lobaton and Tomas Nido are set to split catching duties in New York while the team's two primary catchers are sidelined.

Contreras is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates.

Contreras will receive a standard maintenance day following a pair of starts behind the plate. In his place, Victor Caratini will catch Kyle Hendricks and bat sixth in Thursday's matinee. Over the course of the first two weeks of the 2018 campaign, Contreras is slashing .326/.408/.488 with six extra-base hits and one RBI.

Grandal went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and a pair of RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Athletics.

Grandal was the only Dodger bat to do significant damage to Oakland starter Daniel Mengden in a rough loss. The 29-year-old owns a .625 slugging percentage despite tallying just four extra-base hits so far, which is a reminder of the strict platoon that limits him to starts against right-handed pitchers. Grandal won't see as many plate appearances as traditional starting backstops, but he should provide enough pop (49 homers over the last two seasons) to help out fantasy owners at the catcher position.

X-rays on Plawecki's hand came back negative Wednesday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Plawecki was hit by a pitch on his hand during the eighth inning Wednesday. While he was initially able to stay in the contest, Plawecki was pinch hit for later in the inning when his turn came up again. Fortunately, initial tests indicate the backstop avoided any breaks in his hand. This is certainly a relief for the Mets, who lost starting catcher Travis d'Arnaud earlier in the day to a partially torn UCL. Consider Plawecki day-to-day for now; with an off day Thursday, he may not be forced to miss any action.

Plawecki is in line to be the Mets' primary catcher moving forward with Travis d'Arnaud (elbow) potentially out for the season, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Plawecki entered the season in a timeshare behind the plate with d'Arnaud, but with the latter now possibly going under the knife to repair a partially torn UCL, Plawecki could spend the remainder of the season as the main starter. The 27-year-old is off to a bit of a slow start at the plate, collecting just three hits in his first 19 at-bats, but he batted .260 in 100 at-bats last season. At the very least, he's worth rostering in two-catcher formats now that he'll have a full workload for the rest of 2018.

Nido was called up to the big leagues Wednesday to replace the injured Travis d'Arnaud (elbow), Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

D'Arnaud has a partially torn UCL which could require Tommy John surgery, in which case Nido could be in the majors for a long time. The 23-year-old has an unremarkable profile and doesn't project to be much more than a backup catcher. He went 3-for-10 in a brief stint in the majors last season, but spent the majority of the year at Double-A Binghamton, where he hit .232/.287/.354 in 404 plate appearances.

D'Arnaud was placed on the disabled list with a partial tear of his right UCL on Wednesday, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

Tommy John surgery is a possibility for d'Arnaud, and if that happens, he could miss an extended period of time. It's hard luck for the oft-injured catcher, who appeared in a career-high 112 games last season. Tomas Nido was called up to fill his spot on the roster and will back up Kevin Plawecki, who will move from a timeshare to a full-time starter role.

Hedges is not in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Rockies, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Hedges isn't making very much contact this season, with a 38.2 percent strikeout rate and a .188 batting average. He has at least chipped in with two homers and a .438 slugging percentage, which should be enough to keep him on the field when combined with his solid defense. A.J. Ellis will start behind the plate in his place.