New York Mets Place Travis d’Arnaud on the 15-Day DL

The New York Mets announced Thursday afternoon that catcher Travis d’Arnaud will be placed on the 15-day DL.

The New York Mets have the second-best offense in the National League East. While that sounds like an easy statement to make, their team speaks for itself. Their bats have been on fire recently, scoring 42 runs in their last seven games. However, the team will be without their starting catcher for at least the next two weeks. Travis d’Arnaud was placed in the 15-day disabled list with a strained right rotator cuff. How does that affect the Mets and, more importantly, your fantasy team?

The team called up veteran Rene Rivera to fill in and placed pitcher Zack Wheeler on the 60-day DL to free up a spot on the 40-man roster. Rivera isn’t expected to have any significance on the Mets roster. He’s just a backup in case anything happens to the new starting catcher. He hit  .178/.213/.275 in 319 plate appearances with the Tampa Bay Rays. He is a good defensive catcher, throwing out 38 percent of attempted base-stealers in his big league career.

Luckily, the Mets won’t have to rely on his bat. Kevin Plawecki will be taking over starting duties while d’Arnaud is hurt. While he has struggled in the majors so far, .216 average in 250 at bats, he hit every well in the minors. In 309 games, he hit 27 home runs, 180 RBI and a .290 average. The Mets were actually looking to send him down to get him more playing time, but they won’t have to do that.

As for Travis d’Arnaud, there is no set timetable for his return. There is a whole list of injuries that he has had throughout his career. He’s had a concussion, a broken hand and a hyperextended elbow in the majors. He also had a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his knee that cost him more than half of the 2012 season in the minors.

Newsday’s Marc Carig said that even d’Arnaud himself doesn’t have an idea of when he’ll be back.

If you own Travis d’Arnaud, and 51 percent of ESPN owners do, there are plenty of other options on the waiver wire. Plawecki is a good add for those in deeper leagues. The Mets offense is finally starting to click, and he should fit right in. Other options include Welington Castillo (43 percent owned), Wilson Ramos (57 percent) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (57 percent).

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I would hold Travis d’Arnaud until further information is released. He could be back in a couple of weeks or a couple of months. He still has top-10 potential, and that is hard to find late in the season, especially at the catcher position. This is bad news as he joins a list of injured star players. Hopefully you are able to find a solid replacement.