MLB Player News

Mesoraco appears to be retired and doesn't appear on track to rejoin the Mets, even after they designated Travis d'Arnaud for assignment Sunday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Mesoraco is officially on the restricted list after refusing a minor-league assignment. He would currently be the Mets' third option at catcher behind Wilson Ramos and Tomas Nido if he wanted to keep playing baseball. It's unclear at this point whether his stance would change should an injury to Ramos or Nido open up a roster spot, but even if that did happen, his long time away from the game would likely mean that he wouldn't be able to step right into a big-league job.

Barnes is on the bench Sunday against Pittsburgh.

Barnes could begin to sit more frequently now that Russell Martin is back from his back injury, though he did receive more than half of the starts prior to Martin's injury and will probably continue to be the primary catcher going forward. Martin gets the call Sunday.

Nido was recalled by the Mets on Sunday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Nido started the season as the Mets' backup catcher but was bumped to Triple-A Syracuse in early April when Travis D'Arnaud returned from the 10-day injured list. With D'Arnaud disappointing to the point that he was designated for assignment Sunday, Nido will again fill the spot.

D'Arnaud was designated for assignment by the Mets on Sunday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets waited out d'Arnaud's recovery from Tommy John surgery but gave him only 23 at-bats to prove himself this season. He'll be removed from the roster after grabbing just two hits in those at-bats. Tomas Nido was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to be the team's backup catcher.

Gomes is not starting Sunday against San Diego.

Gomes still has the edge in starts behind the plate in Washington, getting the call 15 times compared to 11 for Kurt Suzuki, who will start Sunday.

Grandal is not starting Sunday against the Mets.

After hitting .404 over his first 16 games, Grandal has fallen into a small slump, hitting .121 over his last nine. Manny Pina starts behind the plate in his absence.

Realmuto is not in the lineup Sunday against the Marlins.

Realmuto sits for the first time in a week and just his fourth time all season. Andrew Knapp starts behind the plate in his absence.

Stallings (neck) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, John Perrotto of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Stallings is dealing with a cervical neck strain. It's not clear when he's expected to return, but he won't have a major-league roster spot to come back to, as Elias Diaz is back as the backup catcher after missing an extended period due to illness.

Contreras is not starting Saturday against Arizona.

Contreras has carried a heavy workload for a catcher, starting 12 straight games prior to Saturday's contest. Taylor Davis will make his first start of the season in his absence.

Hedges is not in the lineup Saturday against the Nationals.

The 26-year-old will receive the day off as Francisco Mejia will start at catcher and bat eighth. Mejia hasn't started in back-to-back games so far this season, so Hedges will probably return to the lineup Sunday.