MLB Player News

Contreras went 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and three runs in Saturday's win over the Reds.

With the Cubs trailing in the second inning, Contreras hit a grand slam to give the team a lead it would never relinquish. Although he's off to a slow start in the power department, it's likely just a matter of time until he picks it up in that area.

Stephenson is off to a decent start at Low-A Dayton, hitting .265/.357/.449 with two homers and 14 RBI in 56 plate appearances.

The important part is that Stephenson, the Reds' first-round pick in the 2015 draft, has stayed healthy so far after only playing 39 games at Dayton last year. He's still just 20 years old, so there's plenty of time for him to develop.

D'Arnaud (wrist) is not in the Mets' lineup Saturday against the Nationals.

It will be the third straight start missed by d'Arnaud after he hit his hand on a bat while throwing during Wednesday's game. Rene Rivera, who is starting behind the plate Saturday, will likely continue receiving the lion's share of catching duties.

McCann went 1-for-3 and hit his fourth home run of the season in a loss to the Twins on Friday.

McCann is tied for second in home runs among MLB catchers. He's hitting just .162 this season, and as a career .241 hitter, he's probably not going to be a great contributor in batting average, but he did hit 12 home runs in just 344 at-bats last season, so he could make a push for 20 home runs with more regular playing time in 2017.

D'Arnaud was scratched from the Mets' lineup for Friday's game against the Nationals after having difficulty throwing, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

The Mets will be hoping that this is nothing more than a little soreness for their starting catcher. D'Arnaud has had a respectable start to the season at the plate so far, slashing .263/.349/.526 to go along with two home runs.

Leon is not in the lineup Friday against the Orioles, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Leon has cooled off since his scalding start at the plate, as he has only collected one hit over his past seven games. Christian Vazquez will assume catching duties for the evening.

Hedges went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's victory over the Diamondbacks.

The young catcher got off to a slow start to the season, but he's been able to turn things around over the past week. In his past six starts, Hedges has batted .350 while launching three home runs, raising his batting average from .037 up to .170.

D'Arnaud (wrist) grounded out in a pinch-hit appearance Thursday.

The Mets' backstop was left out of the lineup Thursday due to a wrist contusion, and though he was able to log an at-bat, he never got the chance to draw in behind the plate. Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports that d'Arnaud will test out his wrist during the day Friday before manager Terry Collins makes a final decision on his lineup. If d'Arnaud is ruled out, Rene Rivera will likely get another start at catcher.

Plawecki was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.

The Mets needed some extra catching depth with Travis d'Arnaud (wrist) a bit banged up, so Plawecki will head to the big leagues. The 26-year-old has been solid at the plate back in the minors this season (.270 batting average, seven RBI), but he still appears to be behind Rene Rivera in the pecking order for starts.

Mesoraco (hip) is expected to remain on his rehab assignment at least through this weekend, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

There was some speculation that the embattled catcher could return as early as Thursday, but the Reds will instead take the cautious approach and let him ease back into action. This extended assignment pushes his return date to sometime during next week's games with the Brewers and Cardinals, although a firmer plan of action should come forth sometime over the weekend.