MLB Player News

Sanchez will have his contract selected and be promoted to the majors on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Sanchez joined the Mets on a minor-league deal May 9, and he had an opt-out clause in his contract for Friday. The Mets will ensure he remains with the team by adding him to the big-league roster after he hit .318 with one home run, five RBI and two runs scored in seven games with Triple-A Syracuse. He may get some playing time in the short term if Francisco Alvarez (undisclosed) is forced to miss time, though Sanchez will likely serve primarily as a bench bat.

Sanchez can opt out of his minor-league contract with the Mets on Friday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Puma hears that the Mets are "strongly weighing" whether to ask Sanchez to extend the opt-out deadline another 10 days, but the 30-year-old catcher and designated hitter has the right to head back into free agency this weekend if he wants to. He's gone 7-for-22 (.318) with one home run and five RBI in seven games at Triple-A Syracuse since signing the minor-league pact May 9.

Alvarez is out of the lineup Thursday against the Rays because he is "dinged up," Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

It doesn't sound like anything overly concerning for the young catcher, who hit a game-tying three-run homer in the ninth inning of Wednesday's comeback win over Tampa Bay. He caught all 10 innings in the 8-7 victory. Michael Perez will start behind the plate in Thursday's matinee.

Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run Wednesday in an extra-inning win over Tampa Bay.

Alvarez grounded out to shortstop in each of his first three plate appearances, but he came through in the clutch in the ninth. With the Mets trailing 5-2 and down to their final out, the backstop blasted a 426-foot, three-run homer off Jason Adam to tie the score and send the contest to extra innings. The long ball was the fourth of the season for Alvarez, who slugged 28 homers between the majors and minors last season.

Diaz went 2-for-5 with three RBI on Wednesday against the Reds.

Diaz delivered two separate RBI singles in the fifth and sixth innings. He has hit well for much of the season, and he now has multiple knocks in five of his last 13 games, during which he's hit .355 with 10 RBI and five runs scored. Overall, Diaz has quietly maintained a 118 wRC+ and .368 wOBA across 138 plate appearances on the campaign.

Hedges went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI on Wednesday against the Tigers.

Hedges got the Pirates on the board with a two-RBI double in the second inning. He added a single in the seventh frame that drove in his third run of the day and also gave him his first multi-hit effort of the season. As that implies, Hedges has been dreadful at the plate early in the campaign, hitting .172/.264/.219 across 75 plate appearances.

Maile went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Rockies.

Maile extended Cincinnati's lead to 2-0 with an RBI double in the second inning. He'd add a home run, his second of the season, off Austin Gomber in the fifth. It was a solid showing from Maile in a rare start -- he's typically the Reds' third catching option behind Tyler Stephenson and Curt Casali. The veteran backstop is now slashing a solid .278/.333/.500 through 39 plate appearances this season.

Nido recently had punctal plugs inserted into each of his eyes to help with his vision issues, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The plugs open his tear ducts and keep his eyes more naturally lubricated. Nido has also been prescribed medicated eye drops to aid in solving the dry eye syndrome that sent him to the injured list last week. He could be ready to return to the Mets relatively soon, though they might want to run with Francisco Alvarez and Michael Perez as their catching tandem for a while longer. Omar Narvaez (calf) will eventually be back in the mix too.

Fortes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

After sitting out three consecutive games last week, Fortes had started behind the dish in both of the Marlins' past two contests. He still looks like the preferred fantasy option at catcher over Jacob Stallings, though the two backstops look to be stuck in true timeshare for the moment.

Murphy is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Rangers, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Murphy appears to be receiving a routine day off. Travis d'Arnaud will step in for Murphy and serve as Atlanta's catcher with Spencer Strider on the hill.