MLB Player News

Hernandez (hamstring) is aiming to return to action in a minor league game Monday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Hernandez has put together a strong spring in a small sample, slashing .294/.368/.647 with two home runs and five RBI over 17 at-bats. He has been bothered by a hamstring issue of late, however. Even with Hernandez's solid showing thus far this spring, Jeff Mathis and Chris Iannetta look to be the primary considerations at catcher for the Opening Day roster.

D'Arnaud was 0-for-4 in throwing out basestealers Friday with Noah Syndergaard on the mound, even failing to gun down Jake Marisnick on a pitchout, and as a result Rene Rivera will be Syndergaard's personal catcher to begin the season, John Harper of the New York Daily News reports.

The Mets were hoping the addition of catching coach Glenn Sherlock to the staff would help d'Arnaud improve his throwing, but that hasn't been the case this spring as the 28-year-old is 0-for-12 in nailing would-be thieves. Better results at the plate should at least allow d'Arnaud to remain in a starting role, and to his credit he is hitting .325/.413/.550 through 40 spring at-bats, but if his hitting doesn't rebound significantly from last season's .630 OPS, he could once again find himself on the bench behind Rivera more often than not.

Stewart was scratched from Friday's Grapefruit League lineup with left groin discomfort, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Stewart has already missed a good portion of the spring while recovering from knee surgery, so hopefully this isn't anything too serious. The veteran catcher is slashing just .231/.333/.308 through six games as he prepares for a backup role behind Francisco Cervelli. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Thole (hamstring) was reassigned to minor league camp Friday.

The backstop already wasn't expected to play in the majors this year due to recently suffering a significant hamstring tear. If a second opinion upholds that dire prognosis, this procedural move may be only the first step to shutting Thole down completely.

Diaz was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

Diaz finds himself behind Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart on the depth chart heading into the 2017 season, so the Pirates will send him to the minors to see more consistent playing time. The 26-year-old slashed .266/.289/.298 in an injury-plagued 2016, where he was limited to just 25 games at the minor league level.

Mesoraco acknowledged that he might not be ready in time for Opening Day, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "I'm a guy who hasn't played in two years, essentially," Mesoraco told C. Trent Rosecrans. "For me to come out catching one full game and getting 15 at-bats in spring training, that's probably not putting me or the team in the best position. If everybody thinks I'm perfectly ready and ready to go, I'll be in there. If not, it's fine."

Mesoraco has to be treated as a complete wild card in redraft leagues this year, given that he's lost the last two seasons to injury and doesn't appear to be fully ready to start this season. It's not just whether and when he'll play; will he ever recapture the ability that made him valuable in the first place? His hip injury in particular is scary when it comes to generating power.

Plawecki went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, his first of the spring, in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

With Travis d'Arnaud catching Noah Syndergaard in a minor league game Saturday, Plawecki got the start for the big league squad and took advantage of his opportunity. He's still likely ticketed for Triple-A Las Vegas to begin the regular season, but d'Arnaud's extensive injury history offers Plawecki a chance for plenty of playing time with the Mets in 2017.

Thole has been diagnosed with a "significant" hamstring tear that could sideline him for the entire season, Nick Piecoro of AZCentral.com reports.

According to Piecoro, Thole will seek a second opinion on his injury, but the indication is that surgery is a possible course of action. Despite the loss of Welington Castillo this offseason, Arizona does have a group of serviceable catchers on the roster with Chris Iannetta and Jeff Mathis. Thole, a non-roster invitee, was unlikely to make the Opening Day roster prior to his injury.

Caratini was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Caratini posted a solid season for Double-A Tennessee in 2016, slashing .291/.375/.405 with six homers. The Cubs are set at catcher, however, so the 23-year-old was expected to head back to the minors for 2017. Although he likely won't see major league action anytime soon with Willson Contreras ahead of him, he apparently impressed the Cubs enough to earn their protection from the Rule 5 draft, so we'll see what he has to offer at Triple-A this season.

Hedges is batting fifth and catching in Friday's Cactus League game.

The 24-year-old has been limited to light activities over the past week while recovering from a tweaked hamstring, but it appears all systems are go moving forward. Hedges is off to a blazing start this spring, hitting .474 with three doubles in eight games. He's expected to be the everyday catcher for the Padres this season after racking up 21 home runs and 82 RBI with Triple-A El Paso last year.