MLB Player News

D'Arnaud is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Marlins.

D'Arnaud will head to the bench for a breather after starting four straight games, going 2-for-15 (.133) over that span. Kevin Plawecki will draw a start behind the dish in his stead, batting eighth.

Plawecki was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday.

The Mets' backup catcher, Rene Rivera, was claimed off waivers by the Cubs, so they had to add a second catcher, and Plawecki was the obvious option. He hit .328/.375/.514 with nine home runs and a 13.8 percent strikeout rate in 275 plate appearances in the Pacific Coast League, although a lot of that production can be attributed to favorable hitting conditions. There is a chance he becomes useful in two-catcher formats, but he will likely only start two or three times per week initially.

Realmuto went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's 3-1 win over the Mets.

His second-inning shot off Chris Flexen proved to be all the offense Justin Nicolino and the Marlins bullpen would need, Realmuto has already set new career highs in homers (14) and RBI (50) on the year, but his .196/.242/.339 slash line in August suggests he may be fading down the stretch as he continues to play nearly every day behind the plate.

Contreras (hamstring) was able to play catch Friday for the first time since landing on the disabled list, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

This step marks the beginning of a lengthy recovery for Contreras, who was officially shut down for two weeks when he landed on the DL on Aug. 11. Although it's only been a week without physical exertion thus far, it's expected that the catcher will go another week with minimal activity before beginning to ramp up his rehab efforts. The optimistic timeline for Contreras still seems to be a mid-September return, while Alex Avila continues to get a majority of the starts behind the plate in his stead.

Manager Pete Mackanin said Rupp will catch Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff exclusively while Andrew Knapp (hand) is sidelined, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Mackanin will mix in playing time for Rupp and rookie Jorge Alfaro when the Phillies' other three starters are pitching. Rupp has started four of the last seven games behind the dish. The catching rotation will become a little more complicated next month when Knapp is expected to return from the disabled list and Alfaro will be able to remain with the team due to roster expansion.

D'Arnaud is making his first career start at third base and hitting fifth Wednesday against the Yankees.

This is a pretty shocking turn of events, but with Wilmer Flores and Jose Reyes each late scratches with sore ribs, the Mets were put in a tough spot. D'Arnaud doesn't even hit enough (75 wRC+) to be a solid offensive option at catcher, so at third base he carries almost no value with his bat or glove, so this doesn't really change things from a fantasy perspective.

Grandal is out of Wednesday's lineup against the White Sox, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

While Grandal is a switch hitter, the Dodgers will flood the lineup with righties against southpaw Carlos Rodon. Austin Barnes starts behind the dish and will hit sixth.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's win over the Phillies.

A couple errors in the fifth extended the inning, and Sanchez made Philadelphia pay with a two-run homer which put the Padres ahead 8-2. It was his eighth home run of the season. Sanchez was hit in the mask by a foul ball earlier this month and he hasn't played much since, but it would seem he's safely out of the woods with that issue.

Mesoraco (broken foot) will miss the next 3-to-6 weeks, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

He was placed on the DL with a broken foot, and this timetable is essentially what was to be expected. His season is in jeopardy, but there is a chance he returns at some point in September. Given his mediocre performance (.213/.321/.390) when healthy -- staying healthy has been a struggle once again for Mesoraco -- he can be cut loose in the majority of single-season formats. Tucker Barnhart should see the bulk of the starts behind the dish going forward.

Hedges is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Phillies.

He is hitting .250/.262/.475 with two home runs over his last 40 at-bats. Hector Sanchez gets the start behind the dish and will hit seventh against righty Mark Leiter.