Devin Mesoraco Should Just Have the Surgery

Apr 11, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds catcher

Devin Mesoraco

(39) after missing the tag on St. Louis Cardinals shortstop

Jhonny Peralta

(27) during the ninth inning at Great American Ball Park. The Cardinals won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports.

The way the Cincinnati Reds are handling the injury to Devin Mesoraco is interesting to say the least. Personally, I’m wondering why Mesoraco is not having the surgery on his hip and why is he not on the 60-day disabled list.

The Reds said that they’re going to try to wait until the end of the season before they do the surgery. I have to ask, “why?” Catching is beyond Mesoraco at this point because of his hip injury, and his only use to the Reds is as a pinch hitter. Not that I don’t like to see Mesoraco hitting, but it’s hard to imagine that he’s at his best right now. I mean, doesn’t hitting involve using your hips? And it shows too, as Mesoraco has gone hitless in this PH role.

Avoiding the surgery seems to only be prolonging the inevitable, since there’s a good chance it will happen eventually. Why not give Mesoraco more time to heal and come back at the top of his game? I could understand the sentiment of giving it time and seeing if he can recover on his own without surgery. But Mesoraco hasn’t started a game since April 11^th. It seems like if his hip was going to heal on its own, it probably would have by now.

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And while Mesoraco has been very valuable to the Reds as their starting catcher, he hasn’t been that valuable so far as a pinch hitter. I understand the sample size it small, but again, there’s no way he can be at the top of his game right now. And what if he further aggravates the injury? What if he gets hit by a pitch, or injuries himself sliding into second? He could be out even longer.

And it’s not as if the Reds don’t have other options. Putting Mesoraco on the disabled list could free up a roster spot for other guys. Since the Reds are already carrying two other catchers, there’s no reason to call up Kyle Skipworth or Chad Wallach, especially since neither one is hitting very well right now. But Irving Falu is hitting .346 with 5 extra base hits and 12 RBIs with the Louisville Bats. Additionally, Ivan De Jesus Jr. is also having a great year so far, hitting .343 with an incredible .848 OPS. Bringing up either one of these guys could be great for the Reds.

And even if Falu and De Jesus don’t do well, the worst case scenario is they get a little more major league playing time, and Mesoraco has a chance to recoup and come back healthy. I can understand why Bryan Price would want Mesoraco coming off the bench. He had a great year last year and will most likely be great for the Reds for years to come. But prolonging his surgery really isn’t in the Reds’ best interest.

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