MLB Player News

The Mets will promote catcher Kevin Plawecki and reliever Hansel Robles from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, the team announced Monday. The team will also transfer Zack Wheeler (elbow) to the 60-day disabled list.

Plawecki and Robles are being called up due to injuries to Travis d'Arnaud and Jerry Blevins. D'Arnaud is expected to miss at least a month due to a metacarpal fracture of the little finger of his right hand. Blevins has a distal radius fracture of the left arm and will miss more than six weeks.

Plawecki is considered the 63rd-best prospect in baseball by MLB.com and Baseball America. He is batting .216 (8 for 37) with one triple, two doubles and six RBI in nine games for Triple-A Las Vegas. 

Robles is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in five relief outings for Las Vegas. He has 10 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings.

Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton is back in the lineup for Monday's game against the Brewers, while catcher Devin Mesoraco remains sidelined.

Hamilton wasn't in the lineup Sunday after suffering a groin strain the previous day, but he's ready to return to action in the team's series opener against the Brewers.

Mesoraco hasn't played since April 12 due to a left hip impingement. Manager Bryan Price said that he had to go home due to a family issue, but he's expected to be back with the team Tuesday, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Second baseman Brandon Phillips is also getting a day off from starting, with the team slotting Kris Negron into the eighth spot.

The Reds are underdogs (+104) Monday against the Brewers.

Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud was confirmed to have a broken pinky finger Monday after being hit by a pitch in Sunday's game, the team announced. d'Arnaud will be in a splint for the next three weeks and will be re-examined then. 

If the finger is healed enough, d'Arnaud will resume baseball activities. He will be placed on the 15-day DL Tuesday and the team will call up catcher Kevin Plawecki to replace him.

Tigers catcher James McCann was hitless in his last 13 at bats, entering Sunday's game. 

He broke the slump in a big way, hitting his first triple since July 28, 2013, when he was with Double-A Erie. 

"To be honest, when I was getting close to second I was a little surprised I could keep running," McCann said, per MLive. "I almost missed second. But I'm just glad I could hit the ball hard a few times today and help get our team a W."

McCann said it was just the third triple he's hit since college, counting one he hit in the Dominican Winter League in November, 2013. 

Manager Brad Ausmus was impressed with McCann's swing.

"I think we're seeing that James McCann is a strong human," he said. "Although he didn't hit for a lot of power in the minors, it wouldn't shock me if a few years down the road he was hitting for more power."

Indians catcher Roberto Perez is 6 for 16 with two home runs and three RBI against right-handed pitchers this season. However, the catcher is hitless in seven at-bats against lefties.

Perez is serving as the team's starting catcher while Yan Gomes is on the disabled list, and he's continuing to struggle against southpaws after going 4 for 24 against them last season. The Indians will square off against lefty John Danks and the White Sox Monday.

The Indians are slight favorites (-109) against the White Sox, per VegasInsider.com.

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco missed his seventh straight game Sunday with a left hip impingement and manager Bryan Price still isn't sure when he can return or what do with him, reports MLB.com.

"You're kind of between a rock and a hard place with this," Price said. "You don't want to exacerbate the problem, and I'm confident that his ability to hit and run will not compromise his current condition. [But] it's a lot easier to get him in the lineup when he's able to catch, and he's not there yet. I don't know how much we'll use him as a pinch-hitter. I'm hoping that in the next few days he's able to catch, because that's really his value to our club."

Price has not yet ruled out a stint on the disabled list for Mesoraco.

"[The] feeling is that ... he needed a few extra days rest from catching and may be able to catch in the next couple of days," Price said. "I'm hoping he can. I'm not sure."

The Mets are expected to promote Triple-A catcher Kevin Plawecki after Travis d'Arnaud suffered a fractured hand Sunday, the New York Daily News reports.

"Can he handle it here?" manager Terry Collins said after Sunday's win, his team's eighth straight. "We’ll likely find out."

Plawecki was pulled from his minor-league game early Sunday, all but confirming that he'll be on his way up to New York to serve as the team's No. 1 catcher while d'Arnaud is sidelined. Plawecki is just 8 for 35 this season but hit .309/.365/.460 with 11 home runs and 64 RBI in 376 at-bats between Double-A and Triple-A last season.

Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton (groin) and Devin Mesoraco (hip) are not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Hamilton came out of Saturday's game with a groin strain. With the speedster out of the lineup, Skip Schumaker will lead off for the Reds Sunday night. Mesoraco hasn't played since last Sunday due to a hip injury, though he was expected to be available at some point this weekend. Tucker Barnhart will draw the start at catcher Sunday.

The Reds are heavy underdogs (+165) against the Cardinals in St. Louis Sunday.

Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud was removed from Sunday's game against the Marlins after being hit by a pitch. He was then diagnosed with a fractured right hand after being examined, WOR 710 AM reports.

d'Arnaud was struck on the hand, and after being checked out by the trainer, he came out of the game. The catcher went 2 for 3 with an RBI before being replaced. He has hit .317/.356/.537 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 41 at-bats.

d'Arnaud was replaced by Anthony Recker after suffering the injury. Recker could be in for extended playing time while d'Arnaud is on the shelf, or the team could promote Kevin Plawecki to serve as the team's regular catcher and keep Recker in a reserve role.

Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb and catcher Tuffy Gosewisch are not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Lamb batted second Saturday for the first time this season but is out of the lineup Sunday for just the second time in his last eight games. Gosewisch started eight of the last nine games behind the plate. With both players on the bench, the Diamondbacks will bat third baseman Aaron Hill fifth and catcher Jordan Pacheco sixth.

The Diamondbacks are underdogs (+125) in San Francisco Sunday.