MLB Player News

Mesoraco will serve as the Mets' catcher and bat seventh Sunday against the Phillies, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The Mets have wasted no time installing Mesoraco as their primary backstop after acquiring him from the Reds on Tuesday. He'll pick up his third consecutive start behind the plate Sunday and should amount to a vast offensive upgrade over Jose Lobaton, who has since settled into the clear backup role.

Contreras continued to batter the White Sox on Saturday, going 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI.

Contreras had an RBI single in the second inning to stretch the Cubs' lead to five. He later added a two-run shot off Chris Beck in the seventh inning. Over his last three games, the catcher is 10-for-15 with three homers and 11 RBI, bringing his OPS up to .868 on the season.

Grandal is not in the lineup Saturday against the Reds.

Grandal is hitting .267/.377/.474 with five homers on the season, though he's struggled a bit in May, going just 3-for-27 since the start of the month. Austin Barnes will catch Saturday.

Realmuto went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in a win over the Braves on Friday.

Realmuto doubled in the first, hit a solo shot in the third and hit an RBI single in the fourth. This was the backstop's seventh multi-hit game, bringing his average up to .325 on the season. Realmuto's .954 OPS also leads all MLB catchers. With five home runs on the season, the 27-year-old is on pace to surpass his total of 17 from last year.

An MRI revealed that Hedges' elbow has no structural damage and he was cleared to resume swinging, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Hedges is currently in San Diego, where he played catch and will take swings for the first time since suffering this injury in late April. The catcher was shut down from all activities over the past week after being officially diagnosed with right elbow tendinitis, which caused him to land on the 10-day DL. The Padres have yet to pinpoint a specific timetable for his return, but rejoining the team next weekend doesn't seem out of the question.

Contreras went 4-for-5 with two home runs, two runs scored and seven RBI in Friday's win over the White Sox.

The 25-year-old launched a grand slam off Carson Fulmer in the first inning, and he later added another homer and a double to give him a career-high seven RBI for the day. Contreras has racked up a whopping 20 total bases in his last two games, raising his batting line from .230/.315/.354 to .268/.343/.488. It took a little while, but Contreras is starting to live up to his draft-day price.

Plawecki (hand) went to Florida to ramp up his rehab Monday, hoping to return to action by the end of May, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The catcher expects to spend at week at the team's spring complex hitting before beginning a rehab assignment. In his absence (as well as the absence of fellow catcher Travis d'Arnaud due to Tommy John surgery) the Mets have acquired Devin Mesoraco from the Reds, but Plawecki will likely return to a starting role once healthy.

Contreras went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Marlins.

The young catcher had been in a slump, as he came into Wednesday 2-for-24 over his previous six games. However, he's now riding a modest three-game hitting streak, and perhaps the three-hit outburst is a sign of a hot stretch on the horizon.

Realmuto is out of the lineup against the Cubs on Wednesday, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Realmuto will receive a rare day off following 15 straight starts as Bryan Holaday gets the nod behind the plate for Wednesday's series finale. Expect Realmuto back in the lineup Thursday.

Smith was placed on the 7-day disabled list at Double-A Tulsa on Tuesday due to an undisclosed injury, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

Smith, who is hitting .255/.333/.447 with four home runs across 105 plate appearances with Tulsa, last appeared in a game Sunday, so that's presumably when he acquired the injury. Assuming the setback isn't a significant one, Smith should be back in action in the minimum amount of time or shortly after. Tulsa promoted Hamlet Marte from High-A Rancho Cucamonga to add more catching depth in the meantime.