Escarra went 1-for-4 with a double in Thursday's 9-7 victory over Arizona.

With Austin Wells getting a game off, Escarra made his first start of the campaign. The 29-year-old enjoyed a personal milestone in the seventh inning when he hit a double to right field for his first hit as a major-leaguer. Escarra is a feel-good story -- he made the Yankees' Opening Day roster this year after being out of affiliated ball in 2022 and 2023 -- but his fantasy viability is limited due to his role as a backup to Wells, though Escarra does have the ability to play at both corner-infield and corner-outfield spots if needed.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that Alvarez (hand) will catch a bullpen session and hit in the batting cage Friday, SNY.tv reports.

Alvarez is ramping up baseball activities as he works his way back from surgery on a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. There is no firm timeline yet for Alvarez's return, but he could still rejoin the Mets before the end of April.

Diaz is absent from the lineup for Friday's game versus the Cubs, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

It's a routine day off for Diaz, who is 3-for-13 at the dish in the early going this season. Martin Maldonado will catch and bat ninth for the Padres in Friday's series opener.

Wong is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

Wong isn't dealing with any known injury, but this is the second straight game he's sat out and Friday is Boston's home opener, so it's a bit curious that he's not in the lineup. Carlos Narvaez will do the catching and bat eighth Friday.

Rogers is absent from the lineup for Friday's game versus the White Sox.

It's a routine day off for Rogers, who had started the last two contests. Dillon Dingler will do the catching and bat seventh for the Tigers.

Realmuto went 3-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and two stolen bases in Thursday's 3-1 win over Colorado.

It was an encouraging effort from Realmuto, who'd gone just 2-for-17 (.118) in four games prior to Thursday's contest. With his two steals, the 34-year-old catcher has already matched his regular-season total from 2024, where he slashed .266/.322/.429 with 14 homers, 47 RBI and 50 runs scored across 413 plate appearances.

Atlanta acquired Delay from the Pirates on Thursday in exchange for cash and optioned him to Double-A Columbus.

Delay was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Tuesday, but a move to Atlanta will allow him to reclaim a spot on a 40-man roster. However, he'll be demoted to Double-A upon joining his new organization and doesn't figure to serve as anything more than minor-league depth for the duration of the season. Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Quero suffered a hamstring injury late in spring training and should be assigned to Triple-A Nashville in late-April, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.

He is also still building back up from last year's right shoulder surgery, as he was starting spring games at designated hitter. It may take Quero some time to knock the rust off at the dish, but his defense behind the plate is already big-league ready. The 22-year-old backstop slashed .262/.339/.440 with 16 home runs, five steals and a 17.8 percent strikeout rate in 90 games at Double-A in 2023 and only played one game last year at Triple-A.

Triple-A Durham placed Keegan on the 7-day injured list with an elbow injury, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.

He was back to throwing by mid-March but opened the year on the shelf. Keegan is the best hitter of the Rays' catching prospects, but his defense is suspect and could limit his playing time in the majors. Keegan hit .285/.371/.435 with nine home runs and a 20.4 percent strikeout rate in 104 games last year as a 23-year-old at Double-A.

Wells is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Diamondbacks.

Wells receives a well-earned breather after starting each of the Yankees' first five games at catcher. J.C. Escarra will be behind the plate, batting eighth Thursday.