MLB Player News

Plawecki, who will be placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday after being diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his left hand, won't require surgery and could be sidelined as little as 2-to-3 weeks with the injury, Steve Gelbs of SportsNet New York reports.

Plawecki was fortunate to only sustain a minor fracture to his hand after being hit by a pitch in Wednesday's win over the Marlins, so it doesn't appear that an extended absence will be in store for the backstop. However, since Plawecki is due to miss more than the minimum 10 days and fellow catcher Travis d'Arnaud (elbow) is out indefinitely with a torn UCL, the Mets could look outside the organization to address their depth at the position. The Mets are expected to add Jose Lobaton to the 40-man roster Friday to complement recent Triple-A callup Tomas Nido behind the plate, but don't be surprised if the team also puts in a waiver claim for another veteran catcher in Miguel Montero, who the Nationals designated for assignment earlier this week.

Plawecki will be placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday after being diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his left hand, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Plawecki had been hit in the hand by a pitch Wednesday, but initial X-rays returned negative, suggesting a lengthy absence wouldn't be in store for the backstop. However, a follow-up MRI revealed the hairline fracture, making Plawecki the second Mets catcher to hit the DL this week after Travis d'Arnaud (elbow) was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear that will sideline him indefinitely. Tomas Nido has already been recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to provide depth behind the plate, and it's expected the Mets will add veteran Jose Lobaton to the 40-man roster to provide another presence behind the plate. Neither Lobaton nor Nido are viewed as starting-caliber catchers at the MLB level, so the team could be active on the trade market in pursuit of an upgrade at the position with both Plawecki and d'Arnaud likely due to miss more than the minimum 10 days.

Plawecki broke his hand after being hit by a pitch Wednesday, the New York Post reports.

Initial reports held that Plawecki had avoided a broken hand, but it now appears that he was not so lucky. Assuming that this latest report is accurate, Plawecki will be out for an extended period. That's bad news for the Mets, who are already set to miss Travis d'Arnaud for a long time with a partially torn UCL. Jose Lobaton and Tomas Nido are set to split catching duties in New York while the team's two primary catchers are sidelined.

Leon went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Yankees.

This was Leon's third start in 12 games, all with Rick Porcello on the bump. Seeing that Porcello is 3-0 with just one walk and zero home runs allowed over 19.2 innings, it's a good bet Leon will continue as his batterymate. That doesn't mean you can count on Leon to deliver at the plate. His surprise 2016 season, when he posted an .845 OPS, is an outlier in a career of mediocre hitting.

Sanchez went 1-for-3 with a double and three RBI Thursday against the Red Sox.

Sanchez is now 4-of-9 with seven RBI over his past two games after going just 1-for-31 during his prior eight games. His strikeout rate has been well down to start the season and his low average was largely the result of a .063 BABIP entering Thursday's game. Although his hard hit rate has dipped in the early going, there's no reason to panic over Sanchez's slow start and he already seems to be working out of it.

Vazquez is not in the lineup against the Yankees on Thursday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Vazquez will occupy a seat on the bench after setting up behind the plate the past three games. In his absence, Sandy Leon will catch Rick Porcello and bat eighth in the order. Expect to see Vazquez back in the lineup for Friday's series opener against Baltimore.

McCann is not in the lineup against the Indians on Thursday.

Following three straight starts behind the plate, McCann will retreat to the bench in favor of John Hicks for the series finale. Over the course of nine games this season, McCann has hit just .147/.237/.176 with five RBI in 38 plate appearances.

Gomes is out of the lineup against Detroit on Thursday.

Gomes will receive a night off after going 1-for-4 with one run and a pair of strikeouts during Wednesday's victory. Roberto Perez is set to fill in behind the dish while batting seventh in the order.

Contreras is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Pirates.

Contreras will receive a standard maintenance day following a pair of starts behind the plate. In his place, Victor Caratini will catch Kyle Hendricks and bat sixth in Thursday's matinee. Over the course of the first two weeks of the 2018 campaign, Contreras is slashing .326/.408/.488 with six extra-base hits and one RBI.

Grandal went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and a pair of RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Athletics.

Grandal was the only Dodger bat to do significant damage to Oakland starter Daniel Mengden in a rough loss. The 29-year-old owns a .625 slugging percentage despite tallying just four extra-base hits so far, which is a reminder of the strict platoon that limits him to starts against right-handed pitchers. Grandal won't see as many plate appearances as traditional starting backstops, but he should provide enough pop (49 homers over the last two seasons) to help out fantasy owners at the catcher position.