Cincinnati Reds Place Devin Mesoraco on 15-Day DL, Reactivate Manny Parra

After injuring his left hip over a month ago, Devin Mesoraco is finally headed to the disabled list. The Cincinnati Reds placed their All-Star catcher on the 15-day DL before Monday’s game against the Colorado Rockies and reactivated lefty reliever Manny Parra.

Mesoraco had been trying to return to catching, but re-aggravated his hip impingement injury while crouching last week. The Reds and Mesoraco haven’t decided whether or not he will have surgery to fix the injury, but his season would be over if he opts to have it. John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer speculates that the catcher will indeed opt to have the surgery, which would probably be the good long-term move for both Mesoraco and the team.

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Mesoraco’s last start at catcher was on April 11 and he’s been limited to pinch hitting and designated hitting duty since with a left hip impingement that has left him unable to squat. It was a questionable move from the start, as the Reds have essentially been playing a man short for over a month. Many, including us, questioned why Mesoraco remained on the roster instead of a bench player who was 1.) healthy and 2.) able to play the field. The only real impact Mesoraco had in the role was a walk-off double against the Braves on May 12.

Overall, Mesoraco is hitting just .178/.275/.244 on the season with a double, a triple, no home runs, and two runs batted in. He’s had just 28 plate appearances since his injury was announced and has gone 6-for-24.

In a corresponding roster move, the Reds reactivated Parra, who had been on the DL since April 29 with a strained neck. Parra is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA on the season. Don’t let his ERA fool you, though. His WHIP is a whopping 3.00 and batters are hitting .438 against him.

Parra’s activation means the Reds will still have a four-man bench for the time being, but I’d have to imagine they’ll be calling up a hitter soon. (I also thought Mesoraco would be on the DL a month ago, so what do I know?)

Their 40-man roster options aren’t great, as Eugenio Suarez and Yorman Rodriguez are both struggling in Triple-A (though both have hit a bit better of late) and I’m not sure whether the Reds are ready to call up Kyle Waldrop from Double-A. If they bring up a hitter not on the 40-man, Steve Selsky, Irving Falu, and Ivan De Jesus Jr. could all be names to watch.

Next: Reds' week seven grades