PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Rather than report to the Minors, Mets catcher Devin Mesoraco is considering retiring.

The Mets cut Mesoraco and five others on Saturday, paring their roster down with five days to go until Opening Day. When team officials notified Mesoraco of their decision, he requested his release. The Mets now must decide whether to grant it to him, allowing him to pursue opportunities elsewhere, or place him on the restricted list. A source said that Mesoraco is prepared to retire if the Mets choose the latter route.

"He is going to be missed," said Jacob deGrom, who threw to Mesoraco 21 times in 32 starts last season. "I felt like what we were able to do last year was pretty special, and he caught most of those innings. I told him that. We'll just have to see what happens."

The Mets also cut pitchers Hector Santiago and Ryan O'Rourke, infielder Adeiny Hechavarria and outfielders Rajai Davis and Carlos Gomez, all of whom reported to Minor League camp. Thirty players remain. So do a preponderance of roster questions.

Here’s an updated roster projection:

Lineup: Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Robinson Cano, Wilson Ramos, Michael Conforto, Pete Alonso, Juan Lagares, Amed Rosario

This group should be pretty much set on a near-daily basis, with the exception of first base and center field. While it’s clear at this point that Alonso will make the team, the Mets are still determining how he'll split time with Dominic Smith. Likewise, Lagares and Keon Broxton will occupy some sort of timeshare, but it’s not known how the Mets will divvy up those reps.

Bench: Dominic Smith, Keon Broxton, Tomas Nido, J.D. Davis, Luis Guillorme

The surprise here is Nido, who entered camp fourth on the depth chart behind Ramos, Travis d'Arnaud and Mesoraco. There's still a chance d'Arnaud will be healthy enough to crack the Opening Day roster, but the Mets have sent strong vibes in recent days that he'll start on the injured list. With Mesoraco out of the picture, that leaves Nido -- the strongest defender of the bunch -- as Ramos' primary backup.

Rotation: Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz, Jason Vargas

The starting five has gone unchanged all spring. They'll start in that order the first week of the regular season.

Bullpen: Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia, Seth Lugo, Justin Wilson, Robert Gsellman, Luis Avilan and a mystery man

The first five names here have been locks all spring; the Mets still haven't formally committed to the sixth, Avilan, but are likely to do so in the coming days. Technically, Rule 5 pick Kyle Dowdy is the only other reliever left in camp, but sources said Saturday that the Mets were leaning toward offering him back to Cleveland. Barring a late-spring signing, then, the team may still recall someone -- O'Rourke? Tim Peterson? -- from Minor League camp.

Injured list: Yoenis Cespedes, Jed Lowrie, Todd Frazier, Drew Smith, Travis d'Arnaud

The only uncertainty is d'Arnaud, who still has time to travel north with the big club. But the Mets appear to be leaning toward keeping d'Arnaud in extended Spring Training, giving him more time to recuperate as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.