Tampa Bay Rays Catcher Francisco Mejia Headed to Injured List With MCL Sprain

The 27-year-old got hurt in the fourth inning of Thursday's game against the Baltimore Orioles, but he did not leave until the seventh.

The Tampa Bay Rays have placed catcher Francisco Mejia on the 10-day injured list with a left knee MCL sprain, the team announced Friday afternoon. Catcher René Pinto has been recalled from Triple-A Durham to take his place.

Mejia got hurt during a play at the plate in the fourth inning of Thursday's loss to the Baltimore Orioles. The throw from left fielder Randy Arozarena was off target, forcing Mejia to lunge to his left to try and tag out right fielder Anthony Santander.

The ball popped out of Mejia's glove, and the Orioles went up 3-1.

Mejia stayed in the game until the seventh inning, when Christian Bethancourt came in to replace him. Bethancourt scored the tying run after hitting a single in the seventh, but the Orioles scored in the 10th to lock up the 4-3 victory.

Manager Kevin Cash told reporters that Mejia had an MRI immediately following the game.

Mejia was hitting .227 with five home runs, 11 doubles, 19 RBI and a .658 OPS through 50 games in 2023. The 5-foot-8 catcher was hitting .265 with a .790 OPS since May 30, though, and he even put the Rays' first run on the board Thursday night via an RBI single in the second inning.

Before recalling Pinto, Tampa Bay was down to one catcher on the active roster – Bethancourt.

Bethancourt is hitting .230 with seven home runs, 12 doubles, 22 RBI and a .646 OPS in 63 appearances this season. Since the start of June, however, Mejia owns a .205 batting average and .462 OPS.

The Rays are 23-19 when Mejia starts this year, compared to 37-21 when Bethancourt starts. Pinto has yet to appear in the majors this season, although Tampa Bay went 10-13 when he started in 2022.

Game two between the Rays and Orioles is scheduled for Friday night at 6:40 p.m. ET.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.