MLB Player News

X-rays on Plawecki's hand came back negative Wednesday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Plawecki was hit by a pitch on his hand during the eighth inning Wednesday. While he was initially able to stay in the contest, Plawecki was pinch hit for later in the inning when his turn came up again. Fortunately, initial tests indicate the backstop avoided any breaks in his hand. This is certainly a relief for the Mets, who lost starting catcher Travis d'Arnaud earlier in the day to a partially torn UCL. Consider Plawecki day-to-day for now; with an off day Thursday, he may not be forced to miss any action.

Maldonado is out of the lineup against Texas on Wednesday, TR Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Maldonado will receive a standard day off following three straight starts, including a 3-for-5 night with two RBI during Tuesday's victory. In his place, Rene Rivera will catch Jaime Barria and bat ninth in the order.

Plawecki is in line to be the Mets' primary catcher moving forward with Travis d'Arnaud (elbow) potentially out for the season, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Plawecki entered the season in a timeshare behind the plate with d'Arnaud, but with the latter now possibly going under the knife to repair a partially torn UCL, Plawecki could spend the remainder of the season as the main starter. The 27-year-old is off to a bit of a slow start at the plate, collecting just three hits in his first 19 at-bats, but he batted .260 in 100 at-bats last season. At the very least, he's worth rostering in two-catcher formats now that he'll have a full workload for the rest of 2018.

Nido was called up to the big leagues Wednesday to replace the injured Travis d'Arnaud (elbow), Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

D'Arnaud has a partially torn UCL which could require Tommy John surgery, in which case Nido could be in the majors for a long time. The 23-year-old has an unremarkable profile and doesn't project to be much more than a backup catcher. He went 3-for-10 in a brief stint in the majors last season, but spent the majority of the year at Double-A Binghamton, where he hit .232/.287/.354 in 404 plate appearances.

D'Arnaud was placed on the disabled list with a partial tear of his right UCL on Wednesday, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

Tommy John surgery is a possibility for d'Arnaud, and if that happens, he could miss an extended period of time. It's hard luck for the oft-injured catcher, who appeared in a career-high 112 games last season. Tomas Nido was called up to fill his spot on the roster and will back up Kevin Plawecki, who will move from a timeshare to a full-time starter role.

Hedges is not in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Rockies, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Hedges isn't making very much contact this season, with a 38.2 percent strikeout rate and a .188 batting average. He has at least chipped in with two homers and a .438 slugging percentage, which should be enough to keep him on the field when combined with his solid defense. A.J. Ellis will start behind the plate in his place.

Realmuto (back) got six at-bats as a DH in Tuesday's extended spring training game Tuesday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

It was his first game action since being shut down March 11 with a bone bruise in his back. Once Realmuto is able to catch in extended spring, expect him to spend a couple of games with a full-season affiliate to complete his rehab assignment before joining the Marlins sometime next week.

Hedges went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 5-2 victory over the Rockies.

Hedges tied the game at two with a solo blast off of Tyler Anderson in the fifth inning, opening the door for Hunter Renfroe to put the game away with a three-run shot in the seventh. The free-swinging catcher is living up to his pre-draft expectations, providing power (two homers) for his owners to go along with an ugly batting average (.188 through 32 at-bats). Hedges has started six of the Friars' last seven contests, putting his minor back ailment in the rearview mirror.

Perez hit a game-winning solo home run in Tuesday's win over the Tigers. He finished the day 2-for-2 with a run, an RBI and a walk.

Getting the start for Yan Gomes, Perez answered the bell and clubbed his first home run of the season to give the Indians a lead they would not surrender. For as good as Tuesday was for Perez, it's important to note that it was just his fourth game of the season while Gomes has gotten seven starts. Neither catcher has performed well offensively; in fact, Perez's hits Tuesday were his first of the season.

Maldonado went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and one run scored Tuesday against the Rangers.

Maldonado has swung a hot bat to begin the series against the Rangers, going 5-for-8 with two runs scored and four RBI. His batting average sits at .323 for the season but he has relied on an inflated BABIP to get there. He should continue to see consistent at-bats as the Angels' top catcher but his fantasy value will be limited thanks to his lack of power and low spot in the batting order.