MLB Player News

Contreras is out of Monday's lineup against the Pirates.

He has started the last seven games, hitting .179 with nine strikeouts over that stretch. Chris Gimenez will start at catcher and hit seventh in his stead.

Nido was optioned to Double-A Binghamton on Monday, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

While Nido has spent time in the big leagues in each of the last two seasons, largely due to the fact he is on the 40-man roster, he belongs at Double-A, as he has played just six games at Triple-A and 107 games at DoubleA. Kevin Plawecki (hand) was activated from the disabled list as a corresponding move.

Plawecki (hand) was activated from the 10-day disabled list, but is not in the lineup for the first game of Monday's doubleheader, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

He hit .231/.333/.462 with a home run and three strikeouts in 13 at-bats during his rehab assignment with Triple-A. Devin Mesoraco, who is starting at catcher and hitting sixth against the Braves, will challenge Plawecki for playing time going forward. It figures to be a pretty even split for now. Tomas Nido was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Mesoraco went 1-for-1 with a solo home run Sunday against the Brewers.

Mesoraco didn't get the start Sunday but managed to hit his fifth home run of the season as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning. He has recorded at least one hit in six of his 11 starts while also hitting four of his five home runs since being dealt from the Reds to the Mets. While health will always be a concern, he is getting regular playing time and has been a decent source of power, making him a decent option in deeper league formats.

Mesoraco is not in the lineup Sunday against the Brewers.

Mesoraco will head to the bench after making four consecutive starts for the Mets, going 4-for-16 with a double and two RBI over that stretch. Tomas Nido will handle catching duties and bat seventh in his stead.

Barnhart is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies.

Tony Cruz will step in to catch for starter Tyler Mahle in the second game of the series. Barnhart provides most of his value to the Reds behind the plate, but he's made real strides with the bat over the past couple seasons. The 27-year-old is hitting .323/.371/.477 in May and his season triple-slash numbers are up slightly across the board from a year ago.

Caratini was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Bruce Miles of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

Chris Gimenez was called up and will take over the backup role behind Willson Contreras. Caratini didn't do much during his latest stint in Chicago (.262 average, .046 ISO in 69 plate appearances), but there is certainly still hope for the 24-year-old long term. He hit .342/.393/.558 with 10 homers in 83 games with Iowa last season.

Hedges pulled himself out of the lineup at Triple-A El Paso on Thursday with soreness in his elbow, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Hedges appeared to be on the verge of a return but he'll be be forced to slow things down after experiencing renewed discomfort in his elbow. An MRI earlier this month showed no structural damage. Raffy Lopez and A.J. Ellis will continue to share catching duties until Hedges is cleared for activation.

Grandal is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Padres.

Padres left-hander Clayton Richard will take the mound Friday, sending Grandal to the bench. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate and bat eighth for the Dodgers.

Plawecki (hand) played five innings behind the plate and went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in his first rehab game at Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Plawecki will probably need to log a full nine-inning game behind the plate in addition to picking up some more at-bats before the Mets bring him back from the 10-day disabled list. Once that happens, Plawecki will likely unseat Devin Mesoraco as the Mets' primary backstop, but the 27-year-old doesn't project as a major fantasy asset outside of leagues that count on-base percentage as a category.