Going into the season, the New York Mets expected a platoon of Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki to hold down the fort behind the plate. Fate threw a wrench in those plans when d’Arnaud suffered a torn UCL in his right elbow in early April. On the same day the club announced that d’Arnaud needed Tommy John surgery and would miss the rest of the season, Plawecki broke his hand after being hit by a pitch and was forced to miss six weeks of action.
With the prospect of the ineffective Jose Lobaton and the inexperienced Tomas Nido bearing the brunt of the catching responsibilities, the team acquired veteran Devin Mesoraco in a deal that sent starter Matt Harvey to the Cincinnati Reds.