Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki landed on the disabled list Friday after an MRI revealed a hairline fracture in his left hand. Plawecki was hit by a pitch on the hand in Wednesday night's win over the Marlins, and while an initial X-ray came back negative, further testing showed the break. The move is retroactive to Thursday. A source close to Plawecki said he's expected to miss a couple weeks.
Now the Mets' top two catchers will both miss time. Travis d'Arnaud learned this week that he has a partial tear of the UCL in his throwing elbow, and he is considering Tommy John surgery, which would, of course, leave him out for the remainder of this season.
So where do the Mets turn now behind the dish? Here are some possible replacements.
Tomas Nido (l.)
(John Bazemore/AP)TOMAS NIDO
Nido is a 24-year-old rookie prospect whom the Mets called up on Wednesday to fill d'Arnaud's spot on the 25-man roster. The Puerto Rico native spent most of last season with Double-A Binghamton, hitting .232 with eight homers, 60 RBI and a .641 OPS in 102 games — not exactly eye-popping numbers, especially in the minors. In five games for Binghamton this season, Nido is 5-for-18 with two doubles. He went 3-for-10 last season for the big-league Mets after rosters expanded in September. Barring a major trade, Nido should get a chance to play while Plawecki heals.
Kevin Plawecki has broken hand as Mets now in a bind at catcher
Jose Lobaton
(Kathy Kmonicek/AP)JOSE LOBATON
Lobaton, an experienced backup catcher in the majors, signed a minor-league deal with the Mets in December and began this season with Triple-A Las Vegas. He went 7-for-21 with a homer in his first five games for the 51s. In their release on Plawecki, the Mets said they will name a replacement later. But Lobaton will almost certainly be heading back to the big leagues. Lobaton, 33, is familiar with this role. In four seasons with the Nationals, Lobaton regularly filled in for the injury-prone Wilson Ramos, playing at least 39 games each season. Lobaton is a plus-defender, but he has never hit consistently enough to earn a starting job in the majors. He's a career .218 hitter.
J.T. Realmuto (l.)
(Frank Franklin II/AP)J.T. REALMUTO
This is the most interesting candidate of the bunch because Realmuto, the Marlins' starting catcher, is not currently on the Mets roster. But it's no secret that Miami and new owner Derek Jeter are trying to move as many major-league pieces as possible to replenish their farm system and speed up their tanking/rebuild. Realmuto demanded a trade in the winter when Jeter started selling off veterans like Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna. The Mets, though, likely don't have the necessary prospects in their thin farm system to compile a package worthy of Realmuto, who started this season on the disabled list and remains there with a back issue. Plus, if Plawecki is only going to miss a couple weeks, then giving up a haul doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Realmuto is scheduled to return to action sometime next week.
MIGUEL MONTERO
The Nationals designated Montero for assignment on Wednesday after starting catcher Matt Wieters returned from the disabled list. During Wieter's absence, catching prospect Pedro Severino showcased his potential at the plate, hitting .348 in eight games. That made Montero expendable, and now the 34-year-old veteran is available. Montero is a .256 career hitter with 13 years of MLB experience. It seemed he had found a comfortable backup role with the Cubs in 2016 and 2017 — until he publicly criticized Jake Arrieta for allowing stolen bases and was later traded to the Jays, where he hit just .138 over the final 32 games of the season. This is an intriguing short-term fix for the Mets.
DEVIN MESORACO
The Reds' Mesoraco is making a lot of money on a very bad team and should be available via trade for the right price. He's on an expiring deal and is slated to earn $13 million this year. But he's a career .233 hitter and has struggled to stay on the field in recent seasons, so he's not really worth the money. And again, if Plawecki is only going to miss minimal time, a trade doesn't seem like the smartest option.