MLB Player News

Barnes went 1-for-2 with two walks, a solo home run and two runs scored Thursday against the Diamondbacks.

Barnes took advantage of an opportunity to start behind the plate, driving his first home run of the season to left field. He has seen sporadic playing time with only 46 at-bats through 31 games. While he has an ugly .196 batting average, he has been able to get on base at a .413 clip and has walked more than he has struck out. However, due to his limited playing time, he is tough to roster outside of deep two-catcher leagues.

Grandal is out of the lineup against Arizona on Thursday, Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA reports.

Grandal will retreat to the bench for a standard day off following five straight starts behind the plate. In his place, Austin Barnes will catch Alex Wood and bat fifth in the order.

Grullon has three homers in his first 50 plate appearances this season for Double-A Reading.

Grullon is a classic glove-first backup catcher prospect, hitting just .240/.289/.357 in his six-year minor-league career. He'll need to do at least something with the bat in order to even be a big-league backup, but it appears as though he might finally be showing something. He's hitting just .200, but he can likely blame a .200 BABIP for that number. A good defender with a bit of pop can be a big-league backup even with a low batting average, and Grullon could now be living up to that profile.

Barnhart is out of the lineup against the Brewers on Wednesday.

Barnhart heads to the bench after starting the past three games, including a 1-for-3 night at the dish with two walks and a run scored during Tuesday's loss. Devin Mesoraco will catch and bat sixth in the order.

Hedges was placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday with right elbow tendinitis.

Hedges was removed from Monday's game in the second inning with elbow tendinitis, and the issue has since been deemed serious enough to require a stay on the disabled list. It's still unclear if he'll be able to return from the DL when first eligible May 11. Raffy Lopez was recalled from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move and should split catching duties with A.J. Ellis until Hedges is healthy.

General manager Sandy Alderson said Plawecki (hand) will probably be sidelined for at least another two weeks, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Plawecki recently resumed throwing, but according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, his grip strength still hasn't improved, leaving him at least a couple of weeks away from rejoining the Mets. An updated timetable for his return should emerge once he's able to ramp up his activity. In the meantime, Tomas Nido and Jose Lobaton will split duties behind the dish.

Contreras is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Rockies.

Contreras plays very frequently for a catcher -- this marks just his fifth absence so far this season. He's hitting a solid .264/.350/.418, though the fact that he has just one home run is disappointing for his fantasy owners. Victor Caratini will get the start behind the plate Tuesday.

Realmuto went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Monday's win over the Phillies.

He's now hit safely in nine straight games and 10 of 11 since coming off the disabled list, giving Realmuto a robust .357/.426/.667 slash line. He'll cool down eventually, but his consistent spot near the top of the Marlins' order should allow the 27-year-old to remain one of the few reliable fantasy assets in the team's lineup.

Hedges was removed in the second inning of Monday's game against the Giants due to elbow tendinitis, Dennis Lin of The Athletic San Diego reports.

Hedges' elbow was bothering him early in the game, so he was replaced by A.J. Ellis in the second inning. He shouldn't be forced to miss significant time and will be considered day-to-day moving forward.

Nido will start at catcher and bat eighth Sunday against the Padres, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Despite having their top two backstops in Kevin Plawecki (hand) and Travis d'Arnaud (elbow) on the disabled list, the Mets have thus far resisted looking outside the organization for help at catcher. That has allowed Nido to stick on the active roster for the past three weeks, with the 24-year-old working in a timeshare with veteran Jose Lobaton behind the plate. Both players have hit under .150 during their stints with the Mets, however, so it will be difficult to rely on either for much aid even in NL-only formats, especially while the duo continues to split time in relatively even fashion.