Mets placed C John Buck on the paternity leave list.

Buck got word before Friday's game that his wife was getting ready to have the baby, and departed immediately to be with her for the birth. In had been a long-awaited event, as their due date was August 1. He can be away from the team for 24-72 hours. Travis d'Arnaud will be recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to replace him on the roster.

John Buck has been scratched from Friday's starting lineup, and will soon be placed on paternity leave as he awaits the birth of a child.

Anthony Recker is replacing him in Friday's lineup, with Travis d'Arnaud expected to be recalled from Triple-A to replace him on the roster.

John Buck will be placed on paternity leave soon.

Buck's wife is due on Thursday, and he's expected to be away from the team for three days. It's possible Travis d'Arnaud could be called up for his major league debut, though Mets manager Terry Collins wouldn't rule out Juan Centeno and Francisco Pena.

John Buck delivered an RBI double Friday in a loss to the Nationals.

After struggling miserably through May and June, Buck is hitting .304 with one home run, five doubles, and 14 RBI through 15 games this month. The Mets will happily take it while they wait for Travis d'Arnaud (foot) to arrive later this summer, but the veteran backstop shouldn't be an option outside of deeper two-catcher fantasy leagues.

John Buck had a nice night at the dish in Saturday's loss to the Brewers, smacking his 15th homer of the season and driving home three runs.

Buck finished the night 2-for-3 and also drew a walk. He was only in the lineup because Shaun Marcum requested him as the catcher Saturday, and he wound up as the team's best offensive performer. After his ridiculously hot start to the season, Buck is hitting just .180 (31-for-172) with four homers and 14 RBI since May 5 (48 games). As soon as Travis d'Arnaud is deemed ready, he could replace Buck as the Mets' primary backstop.

John Buck is not in the Mets' starting lineup on Thursday afternoon against the Diamondbacks.

Anthony Recker will start at catcher for the second time in three games. Buck got off to an exceptional start this season but is batting .172/.258/.245 since May 5.

John Buck hit his first homer since May 24 and just his second since May 3 in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Braves.

The solo homer gave the former NL RBI leader his first RBI of June. He's hitting .222 in 45 at-bats this month.

John Buck went 2-for-4 with a double against the Cardinals on Thursday.

In so doing he tallied his first extra-base hit since June 2. Although Buck is hitting just .223, he's ninth in the NL with 11 homers. He's gone deep just once since May 3, however.

John Buck went a seventh straight game without an RBI on Monday, finishing 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and a walk.

Buck drove in an NL-high 29 runs through May 3, but he has none sense. He does, however, have 13 strikeouts in his last seven games. Buck should continue to supply decent power numbers for a catcher this season, but those in one-catcher mixed leagues should move on now.

John Buck is not in the Mets' lineup on Tuesday.

It's a well-deserved day of rest for Buck, who caught 15 innings on Monday night. He has been the surprise of the 2013 baseball season so far, boasting nine home runs and 25 RBI in only 23 games. Anthony Recker will start behind the plate Tuesday vs. the Marlins.

John Buck was hitless in three at-bats Friday against the Phillies.

Buck is hitting just .167 over his last 10 games, bringing his batting average down from .351 to .260 in the process. Meanwhile, his on-base percentage now sits at .282. It was fun while it lasted.

John Buck smacked his seventh home run of the season Sunday against the Nationals.

It was a solo shot against right-hander Jordan Zimmermann. Buck drove in one run in each game this weekend and currently leads the majors with 22 RBI. He's worth using in deeper mixed fantasy leagues for the time being, but don't expect this pace to continue.

John Buck's early-season rampage continued Friday night against the Twins, as he launched a grand slam in a 16-5 blowout victory.

It was his only hit of the day. Buck now has six bombs on the year and is the first Met to homer in four straight games since David Wright did it in 2007. Meanwhile, his 19 RBI are the most ever for a player in his first 10 games with a new team. Yes, you read that correctly. The .237 career hitter is bound to come back down to Earth eventually, but fantasy owners should keep running him out there for now.

John Buck launched his fourth homer of the season, a two-run shot, in Tuesday's loss to the Phillies.

Buck put a Cliff Lee pitch over the right-center field fence in the second inning. He also had a single in the game. Buck has been one of the hottest hitters in the game early on, batting .393 with 14 RBI to go along with the four bombs. He'll cool off before long, but ride him while he's hot.

John Buck clubbed a three-run homer in a win over the Phillies on Monday.

It was his only hit of the day, but it was the big blow against Roy Halladay. Buck now has three homers and surprisingly leads the National League with 12 RBI. By the way, no player in Mets' history has driven in more runs through the first seven games in a season. While we don't expect his early-season surge to continue, Buck could have some value in two-catcher mixed formats until top prospect Travis d'Arnaud is ready for the majors.

John Buck (flu) will return to the Mets' Grapefruit League lineup Wednesday.

Buck has been sidelined for the past two days due to food poisoning. It shouldn't be an issue moving forward.

John Buck (flu) was given the day off on Monday.

The flu can spread quickly through clubhouses, so the Mets told Buck to stay home. He'll be fine in a few days.

John Buck hit a three-run homer against the Marlins as the Mets' No. 3 hitter Sunday.

Since the Mets have little reason to starter Travis d'Arnaud's free agency and arbitration clocks, Buck will spend a couple of more months as a starter. He should get pushed into a backup role later unless he performs well and some team wants to trade for him.

Mets acquired C John Buck from the Blue Jays in the seven-player R.A. Dickey trade.

Buck is pretty much a throw-in but could see a good amount of playing time next season in New York while Travis d'Arnaud -- the other catcher coming to the Mets in this deal -- continues to marinate in the minor leagues. Buck, 32, batted just .192/.297/.347 with 12 homers and 41 RBI in 106 games this past year for the Marlins.

Blue Jays acquired C John Buck from the Marlins in a 12-player trade.

Buck is hardly a desirable option at this point, but the Blue Jays accepted him in order to get the deal done. The 32-year-old batted .192/.297/.347 with 12 home runs, 41 RBI and a .644 OPS in 106 this season and probably won't even be a starting player in Toronto. Even if the Blue Jays trade J.P. Arencibia, top prospect Travis d'Arnaud could get the bulk of the starts behind the plate next season. Buck is owed $6 million in 2013 and can become a free agent next offseason.