According to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, some Mets officials are interested in replacing the arbitration-eligible Ronny Paulino.

The Mets signed Paulino last offseason to serve in a tandem with Josh Thole, but Martino writes that the club "did not view him as a diligent worker, adequate defensive catcher, or offensive force off the bench." The 30-year-old backstop earned $1.35 million in 2011 while batting 261/.312/.351 with two home runs, 19 RBI and a .663 OPS over 248 plate appearances and throwing out just 20 percent (12-for-59) of attempted basestealers. The Mets have concerns about Mike Nickeas' ability with the bat, so they would likely seek an outside solution if Paulino is non-tendered or traded.

Ronny Paulino (toe) is starting at catcher Saturday

It's his first start since August 22, as Paulino has been limited to pinch-hitting duty due to a broken right toe. He's batting .286/.325/.362 for the season.

Ronny Paulino (toe) lined out as a pinch-hitter Monday in his first at-bat since August 24.

Paulino was diagnosed earlier this week with a broken right toe and seemed destined for the 15-day disabled list, but the Mets are apparently going to let him play through it. The 30-year-old backstop is batting .287/.327/.364 in 65 games.

Ronny Paulino returned to action on Monday August 29.

Ronny Paulino has a broken right toe.

Paulino could be placed on the 15-day disabled list before the second half of Monday's doubleheader against the Marlins in order to clear a 25-man roster spot for Jose Reyes. The 30-year-old catcher has hit .289/.329/.366 in 64 games this season for New York.

Ronny Paulino is currently receiving treatment for an injured toe.

Paulino is hopeful that he can disabled list and be available to pinch-hit, but we'll likely know more after he undergoes an X-ray on Friday. Mike Nickeas, who was recalled from the minors Wednesday, will serve as the primary backup to Josh Thole.

Although they've received numerous calls about the availability of Ronny Paulino, the Mets are expected to hang on to their catcher.

Paulino is making just $1.35 million this year and is under team control next season, so the Mets are inclined to keep the backstop unless they receive an obviously favorable offer. Paulino is batting .308 in 48 games this season.

Ronny Paulino tweaked his back during a swing on Wednesday.

The good news is that Josh Thole was expected to make the start behind the plate Thursday, anyway. Paulino should be fine for the weekend series against the crosstown Yankees.

Ronny Paulino continued his torrid hitting on Wednesday, going 4-for-6 with four runs and an RBI as part of the Mets' second consecutive offensive explosion against the Tigers.

In the process, Paulino made Mets manager Terry Collins look brilliant, as Collins decided to bat Paulino in the cleanup spot for only the third time in the catcher's career. Paulino raised his average 19 points to .346, and now has 10 hits in his last 19 at-bats.

Ronny Paulino will bat cleanup Wednesday against the Tigers.

It will be just his third career appearance out of the cleanup spot, but Mets manager Terry Collins likes the matchup against left-hander Phil Coke. Paulino, a known lefty-killer, is batting .364 with three doubles in 44 at-bats against southpaws this season.

Ronny Paulino roped three singles in five at-bats in the Mets' 13-inning victory on Wednesday.

Paulino played the whole game, and is giving the Mets a little more than they expected at the plate this season. The 30-year-old is now hitting .322 in part-time work.

Ronny Paulino went 4-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in New York's loss to the Brewers on Wednesday.

He took Kameron Loe deep for a three-run bomb in the eighth. The home run was Paulino's first in 22 games and 64 at-bats this season. Now batting .344, he's likely to keep drawing playing time away from Josh Thole for the foreseeable future.

Mets manager Terry Collins plans to give Ronny Paulino a string of consecutive starts behind the plate.

Josh Thole is batting just .172/.245/.204 since the first week of the season and has lost his grip on the starting job. "I thought about it last night, thought about it this morning," Collins said. "Josh is still going to play. He's still going to get a number of at-bats. I just want to make sure we try to keep them both as sharp as possible."

Ronny Paulino will start behind the plate for Saturday's game against the Astros.

Paulino probably would have started over Josh Thole against the left-hander J.A. Happ anyway, but he's also catching knuckleballer R.A. Dickey for a second straight start. Thole has turned to Doug Mirabelli -- who used to catch Tim Wakefield -- for some advice on how to catch knuckleballers, so he should be paired with Dickey again soon.

Ronny Paulino will start behind the plate for the second straight day Thursday.

Make sense, especially against Giants left-hander Jonathan Sanchez. Mets manager Terry Collins said Thursday morning that Josh Thole is expected to return to the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the Dodgers.

Ronny Paulino's career-high fifth hit gave the Mets the lead in the top of the 14th Sunday in a 2-1 win over the Philles.

The Mets played 4 hours, 45 minutes in order to avoid a sweep in Philly, and Paulino, who had two career four-hit games, deserves much of the credit. He was making his first start of the year after finishing up his 50-game PED suspension and missing time with anemia. The big hit was an RBI double that scored David Wright and helped to make a winner out of Taylor Buchholz.

Mets activated C Ronny Paulino from the 15-day disabled list.

The Mets flirted with the idea of giving him one more day on his rehab assignment, but they've decided to go ahead and make the move. Paulino missed the first eight games of the season while he served the remainder of his PED suspension, and he's been out since then with anemia, as well as an oblique strain. He'll back up Josh Thole and should be plenty of starts against left-handed pitching.

The Mets may wait until Saturday to activate Ronny Paulino (oblique, anemia) from the disabled list.

Mets manager Terry Collins told reporters Thursday that he wants Paulino to get more at-bats in the minor leagues. The 30-year-old catcher is just 6-for-38 (.158) on his minor league rehab assignment thus far.

The Mets are expected to activate Ronny Paulino (oblique, anemia) from the disabled list Friday.

We knew it was expected to come sometime over the weekend, and now we have more clarification. He'll get plenty of playing time against left-handed pitching.

The Mets are expected to activate Ronny Paulino (oblique, anemia) from the disabled list this weekend.

Paulino would have been with the Mets by now if it wasn't for some recent oblique discomfort. He's expected to play three more minor league rehab games with Triple-A Buffalo (two catching, one as the DH) before joining the Mets in Philadelphia.