MLB Player News

Plawecki will play a reserve role in Friday's matchup with the Padres.

Plawecki, who has been handling catching duties behind the plate while Travis d'Arnaud is on the DL, will sit out Friday's series opener in San Diego. He will be replaced by Rene Rivera in the lineup. The Mets will be facing a right-hander, so this move is not all that surprising. Look for Plawecki to return to his catching role Saturday.

Mesoraco (shoulder) will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder and could miss the rest of the season.

This does not bode well for Mesoraco, as was told that the recovery process for this surgery takes at least four months, meaning that his season could be over depending on how long his recovery takes. That being said, there's a small chance that he could return in mid- to late-September if he recovers very quickly, but the Reds will probably err on the side of caution so that he can be healthy for 2017 rather than rush him back to action and cause further damage. This is really unfortunate for the 27-year-old and the Reds, but they'll have to keep chugging along using Tucker Barnhart as their primary catcher.

Casali has notched an extra-base hit 62 percent of the time that he's hit safely since last June, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The young backstop is only tallying a .202 average over 228 career at-bats over parts of three seasons, but has made solid contact on an overwhelming majority of the hits he's managed since a June 2015 call-up. Casali has managed to hit for extra bases on 21 of the 34 instances in which he's avoided an out since that point, a span that includes as many homers (13) as singles. However, consistency in getting on base remains an area with plenty of room for improvement, as the 27-year-old readily admits. "Believe me, I'd like to be more consistent at the plate, maybe throw in a single instead of a strikeout or a pop fly," Casali said. "I want to be more consistent.

Perez (thumb) underwent surgery on his fractured thumb Friday and is expected to miss 8-12 weeks, Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com reports.

A thumb injury is never a good thing for a catcher, and it appears that the surgery was major enough that it will keep Perez out for a significant chunk of the season. This timetable has him in line to rejoin the Indians at some point in July, but this could change depending on how his rehab process goes.

Lavisky was placed on the disabled list Friday with a right ankle sprain.

Lavisky had just gotten back into action after missing the month of April due to another ankle sprain, but he'll head back to the DL after re-aggravating the ailment. He wasn't getting much playing time behind Anthony Recker while he was healthy, and the injury will only inhibit him further from getting a shot behind the plate for the Clippers.

Stewart has started five of Pittsburgh's first 28 games, hitting .208 in 24 at-bats.

The catcher hit .289 and .294, respectively, in limited play for the Pirates his first two seasons, so there's reason to hope for improvement. Staff ace Gerrit Cole threw his best start with Stewart behind the plate and the two have a strong history working together -- that could mean he makes occasional starts as the team tries to find Cole's groove.

D'Arnaud (shoulder) began hitting Thursday but hasn't resumed throwing yet, Maria Guardado of the Star-Ledger reports.

This is good to see some progress in his rehab process, but until d'Arnaud begins throwing again, it'll be quite some time before he can return to the Mets lineup. A timetable for his return should become clearer once he can begin a throwing program.

Vazquez is out of the lineup Tuesday against the White Sox, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Vazquez will get another day off Thursday as the Red Sox take the cautious approach by giving his previously problematic elbow plenty of time to rest. Ryan Hanigan will slot in behind the plate in his stead.

Perez (thumb) will have surgery on his right thumb Friday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Perez is expected to miss significant time but a more exact timetable will be announced after his surgery is completed. The 27-year-old had failed to record a hit through his first four games, but still managed to reach base at a .400 clip thanks to his above-average eye at the plate.

Making a second straight start out of the leadoff spot, Realmuto went 3-for-4 with one run scored in Wednesday's win over the Diamondbacks.

The Marlins' are apparently willing to look just about anywhere to replace Dee Gordon's presence atop the lineup while the speedy second baseman is suspended and Realmuto has earned the chance to prove himself in back-to-back starts. The catcher is working a strong .329/.341/.482 slash line following Wednesday's three-hit effort and is back at the top of the order for Thursday's series finale.