MLB Player News

The Mets informed Mesoraco on Saturday that he wouldn't be included on their Opening Day roster, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

Since the veteran catcher has no opt-out clause in his contract, the Mets may simply release him -- or even place him on the restricted list -- if he expresses no interest in a minor-league assignment. Mesoraco plans to contemplate his options and hope another team has a sudden need for extra depth behind the plate over the next few days.

Stallings (neck) is listed as an available bench option for Saturday's split-squad Grapefruit League game against the Phillies, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Jason Delay is also on hand as another reserve backstop, but the fact that Stallings will dress for the exhibition suggests the stiff neck that he first experienced Wednesday is no longer much of a concern. With Elias Diaz (illness) slated to open the season on the injured list, Stallings is poised to break camp as the top backup to No. 1 catcher Francisco Cervelli.

Pentecost has left camp to consider his future, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Retirement is apparently a possibility for the 26-year-old. Pentecost spent all of the 2018 campaign with Double-A New Hampshire, hitting .253/.283/.401 with 10 homers in 89 games.

Haase was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Friday.

The Indians are going with a combination of Roberto Perez and Kevin Plawecki behind the dish, leaving Haase to open the season in the minors. The 26-year-old backstop hit a solid .364/.375/.727 with two homers and 10 RBI through 19 Cactus League games.

Gosewisch was informed Friday that he'll open the season at Triple-A San Antonio, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The news is no surprise, as Gosewisch is behind even third catcher Erik Kratz, who may not be able to make the team. Even if Kratz heads elsewhere, Gosewisch isn't guaranteed to be the next man up, as he doesn't have a 40-man roster spot.

Wynns (oblique) took batting practice again Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Wynns said Monday he hoped to return to game action by the end of the week but he remains out of the lineup Friday. The 28-year-old's continued participation in batting practice indicates he hasn't suffered a setback with his oblique, but he still has no set date for his return.

Bart was reassigned to minor-league camp Friday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Bart left quite an impression during his first major-league spring training as he slashed .350/.381/.600 with two doubles and a home run in 20 at-bats. The 22-year-old spent the bulk of 2018 at Low-A Salem-Keizer and posted a .983 OPS, and is ticketed to begin the 2019 season at High-A San Jose.

Grandal went 1-for-2 with a home run, three RBI, two runs, and a walk in Thursday's spring game against the Dodgers.

Grandal faced his former team for the first time and did some damage at the plate. He went just 1-for-9 in three February spring games, but has heated up this month, going 8-for-21 (.381) while also walking nine times. Grandal is set to be the Brewers' regular catcher from Opening Day onward, and he figures to occupy a spot in the middle third of the batting order.

The Red Sox are discussing possible trades of Leon, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports.

Leon is one of three catchers in camp, and the Red Sox say they don't plan to carry all three on the big-league roster. This news means the team is expected to keep Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart as their catching tandem. This could have an impact on Boston's staff, which had a 3.38 ERA throwing to Leon compared with a 3.84 ERA throwing to Vazquez and a 5.32 ERA throwing to Swihart, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Manager Mickey Callaway hinted Thursday that d'Arnaud could open the season on the injured list, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

D'Arnaud is working his way back from Tommy John surgery that the underwent last April. While he returned to Grapefruit League play last week, the Mets are apparently concerned that d'Arnaud might not have enough time to get the necessary amount of at-bats in before the start of the season. Factor in concerns regarding the backstop's throwing, and d'Arnaud could be ticketed for the IL to open the year. Should he open the season on the shelf, Devin Mesoraco would likely break camp as the team's backup catcher.