MLB Player News

Plawecki is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.

Plawecki has gotten a hit in five straight starts, but the Mets seem content to give him a day off to rest. Rene Rivera will slot in behind the dish Wednesday.

Mesoraco (shoulder) underwent surgery Tuesday and manager Bryan Price said that the damage was worse than initially thought, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. He's expected to miss six months.

This is disheartening news for the promising young catcher as Tuesday's announcement from Price suggests that Mesoraco will have his season cut short for a second straight year. Mesoraco had surgery Tuesday to repair the torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, and Price told reporters that his timetable to return has been pushed back to a six-month window, which would end his season if he follows on that timeline. Tucker Barnhart and Jordan Pacheco figure to handle most of the catching duties for the remainder of the season with Mesoraco sidelined.

Rupp is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Braves, Meghan Montemurro of The News Journal reports.

Manager Pete Mackanin was considering giving Carlos Ruiz more starts, and this appears to be the beginning of that trend. Rupp is hitting .250 through 19 games but owns an abysmal 31.1 percent strikeout rate.

Plawecki hit his first home run, a solo blast, in Monday's win over the Dodgers.

Plawecki has started three consecutive games now and is making the most of it. He has gone 4-11 with four extra-base hits (three doubles and a homer) in those three starts and raised his batting line from .189/.189/.333 to .229/.351/.354. He won't be taking the job from Travis d'Arnaud in the long term, but his discipline and power combination make him a tolerable replacement while the Mets wait for their starter to return from a rotator cuff injury.

After an examination with team doctor David Altchek, d'Arnaud's diagnosis remains a rotator cuff strain, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports. "It's just going to take more time...Clearly he's not ready yet," said assistant GM John Ricco on Monday.

Altchek doesn't believe that d'Arnaud requires surgery and has prescribed rest, but the catcher will receive a PRP injection in the near future. In the meantime, d'Arnaud has been shut down from hitting, which effectively puts him in a holding pattern for the foreseeable future.

Grandal is not in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.

A.J. Ellis will get the nod behind the plate Monday as the Dodgers take on Mets lefty Steven Matz.

Bethancourt went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Mets.

Bethancourt came into the day with only two extra-base hits on the season, but doubled that total Sunday, contributing a double and a homer. He's still a defense-first catcher, however, and figures to see only limited at-bats behind regular starter Derek Norris.

Plawecki, who had his first two extra base hits of the season Saturday, is in the lineup Sunday against the Padres.

Plawecki sat Friday for Rene Rivera but will play in a day game Sunday following a night game Saturday. With Travis d'Arnaud sidelined for a while longer due his rotator cuff injury, Plawecki has a golden opportunity to grab a hold of the catching job. If he falters and d'Arnaud is out long-term, the Mets could explore the trade market - possibly Jonathan Lucroy - to obtain a starting catcher.

Barnhart is out of the lineup Sunday against the Brewers.

Barnhart was behind the plate for the first three games of the series, but will sit for the afternoon finale. Ramon Cabrera will man the backstop in his stead.

Rupp could see his playing time cut back a little with manager Pete Mackanin considering giving Carlos Ruiz some additional starts, Bill Whitehead of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Rupp has been getting the majority of the starts behind the plate thus far, but Ruiz has outproduced him. Ruiz is unlikely to see regular playing time as Mackanin believes he needs to keep him fresh with days off, but the timeshare behind the plate could become more evenly split if Rupp doesn't get his bat going.