FRANCISCO MEJÍA NEWS

Feeling 'significantly better' Mejia (ribs) is feeling "significantly better" according to manager Kevin Cash, and the backstop could be activated Sunday when first eligible, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times r...

Impact Mejia was officially placed on the injured list May 8 retroactive to two days prior, which indeed makes Sunday his first opportunity to return to action. The 25-year-old was particularly standing out for his offensive contributions prior to his injury, slashing .300/.348/.450 across 67 plate appearances while alternating time behind the dish with Mike Zunino.

MAY 14, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Placed on injured list Mejia (ribs) was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to May 6, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Impact Mejia was scratched from Friday's lineup due to left intercostal discomfort but wasn't believed to be dealing with a serious injury. However, he apparently wasn't feeling better Saturday and will now spend time on the injured list. Mike Zunino should serve as the primary catcher in Mejia's absence, while Kevan Smith should be available as a backup.

MAY 8, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Could be available off bench Mejia (ribs) isn't believed to be dealing with a serious injury, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact Mejia was scratched from Friday's lineup due to a left intercostal strain, but manager Kevin Cash said that the catcher could play if needed. A better idea of Mejia's status could be known based on how he feels Saturday, but it's unlikely that he'll miss significant time.

MAY 8, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Rays at A’s: Francisco Mejia scratched from lineup The catcher who has been one of Tampa Bay’s most consistent hitters has discomfort in his rib cage.

MAY 7, 2021 • TAMPABAY.COM

Scratched from lineup Mejia was scratched from Friday's lineup against the Athletics with left intercostal discomfort, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Impact Mejia had been out of the lineup for two of the last three games, and he'll be a late scratch Friday due to an intercostal issue. Mike Zunino will take over behind the dish and bat sixth.

MAY 7, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Retreats to bench Mejia isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Angels, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact Mejia will be out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games after he went hitless with a strikeout in three at-bats Wednesday. Mike Zunino will start behind the plate and bat seventh.

MAY 6, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Out of Tuesday's lineup Mejia is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Angels, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact He is hitting .286/.324/.514 with one home run over his last 10 games and has started three of the last seven. While Mejia is the superior offensive catcher to Mike Zunino, who is starting behind the dish Tuesday, they will maintain a close playing time split due to Zunino's superior defense.

MAY 4, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Continues getting on base Mejia went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run in a win over the Angels on Monday.

Impact Mejia continues to deliver at the plate relatively consistently, with Monday marking the fourth time in his last five starts he's hit safely. After a forgettable 2020 in San Diego, Mejia seems on track for production that much more closely resembles the encouraging .265/.316/.438 slash he generated over 244 plate appearances with the Padres in 2019.

MAY 4, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Remains out of lineup Mejia isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Astros, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact Mejia will be out of the lineup for a second straight game as he continues to split time behind the dish. Mike Zunino will serve as the starting backstop and bat ninth.

MAY 1, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Out of Friday's lineup Mejia is not in the lineup Friday against the Astros, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact The 25-year-old and Mike Zunino have alternated starts over the past week, and Mejia will take a seat after going 1-for-4 with a double during Thursday's series finale against the A's.

APRIL 30, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Heads to bench Mejia is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Impact Mejia will alternate turns behind the plate with Mike Zunino for the sixth straight game, with both backstops picking up three starts apiece during that span. After going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a run in Tuesday's 4-3 win, Mejia is now slashing a robust .311/.333/.489 through 49 plate appearances.

APRIL 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Sits in favor of Zunino Mejia is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Athletics, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Impact Mike Zunino will get a turn behind the plate after Mejia had caught in three of the last four games. Zunino remains the superior defensive option of the two, but Mejia appears to have shown enough improvement in that area early on during his first season in Tampa Bay to turn the Rays' catching situation into more of a timeshare than it has been in recent years. Both backstops have gotten off to strong starts with the bat as well, but Zunino's track record offers less hope that he can maintain his hot start than Mejia.

APRIL 26, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Playing time picks up Mejia will start at catcher and bat eighth Sunday against the Blue Jays, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact He'll be behind the plate for the fourth time in five games, perhaps signaling that he's moved ahead of Mike Zunino on the depth chart at catcher. While Mejia has his shortcomings as a receiver, he's at least made strides in that area so far this season and offers an upgrade over Zunino with the bat. Through his first 39 plate appearances with Tampa Bay, Mejia is slashing .286/.316/.457 with an excellent 7.7 percent strikeout rate.

APRIL 25, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Francisco Mejia: Do the Rays finally have a franchise catcher? For the past 10 seasons the Tampa Bay Rays have had one glaring hole on their team, behind the plate. Francisco Mejia is looking to change t...

APRIL 18, 2021 • RAYSCOLOREDGLASSES.COM

Clubs first homer Mejia went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and an additional RBI during Saturday's 6-3 win over the Yankees.

Impact The 25-year-old struggled to find his footing in the majors since making his debut with Cleveland in 2017, but he's off to a strong start in 2021. Mejia has a .333/.370/.542 slash line with one home run, two doubles and five RBI through eight games this season.

APRIL 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Singles twice in loss Mejia went 2-for-4 in Thursday's 6-4 extra-innings loss to Texas

Impact The backup catcher has started strong at the plate this season, now hitting .300 in 20 at-bats with only one strikeout. A former top prospect, Mejia has been involved in multiple blockbuster trades throughout his career, but has yet to live up to his high offensive expectations. That being said, his performance early in 2021 has been promising, and if it continues it may be enough to earn Mejia more opportunities over starter Mike Zunino, who's never hit for a respectable average and has been no different this year.

APRIL 16, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Making good use of opportunities Mejia, who went 1-for-3 with a double and a run against the Red Sox on Wednesday, has hit safely in all three of his starts thus far.

Impact The reserve backstop is hitting .333 (3-for-9) in the early going, with his two-bagger Wednesday serving as his first extra-base hit of the campaign. Mejia also has two walks and has yet to strike out over his first 11 plate appearances, making him the polar opposite of free-swinging position mate Mike Zunino in that regard.

APRIL 9, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Gets RBI in first start Mejia went 1-for-2 with an RBI sacrifice fly and a walk in a win over the Marlins on Friday.

Impact The backup backstop didn't have to wait long to draw his first start of the season, and his ninth-inning sac fly gave the Rays some valuable breathing room by extending their lead to two runs. The switch-hitting Mejia should see his fair share of starts against right-handed pitching this season and could potentially carve out a solid swath of playing time if he proves productive at the plate.

APRIL 3, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Primary backup catcher to open '21 Mejia won an Opening Day roster spot as the primary backup to Mike Zunino at catcher, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Impact Mejia was consistent at the plate most of spring, finishing with a .267 average across 32 plate appearances. The 25-year-old once was held in high regard in the Padres organization, and although the franchise decided he was expendable in the Blake Snell trade this past offseason, it appears he'll have a chance at a reset with Tampa Bay.

APRIL 2, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Making strong early impression Mejia, who went 1-for-2 with a double in Tuesday's Grapefruit League loss to the Red Sox, has pleased the Rays coaching staff with his progress early in spring training, Adam Berry...

Impact Mejia is one of the more intriguing prospects to watch in spring camp, considering he was once considered on the fast track to stardom with the Padres organization. The 25-year-old is experiencing a reset of sorts in Tampa Bay after arriving in the Blake Snell trade, and the Rays are intent on grooming him as the switch-hitting complement to starting catcher Mike Zunino, who's only under contract through the end of the 2021 season. Cash notes Mejia has been kept busy getting familiarized with the pitching staff by catching plenty of bullpen and live batting practice sessions, and the Rays skipper adds he plans to single out certain pitchers and frequent 2021 opponents in deciding when to get Mejia game action during the balance of the Grapefruit League schedule.

MARCH 3, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

High hopes for '21 Mejia, once considered one of the top catching prospects in all of baseball and part of the Rays' return from the Padres in the Blake Snell trade, has high expectations going into...

Impact Mejia is still just 25 years old and already has one solid big-league season under his belt, having slashed .265/.316/.438 with 21 extra-base hits (11 doubles, two triples, eight home runs) and 22 RBI across 244 plate appearances as a rookie with the Padres in 2019. However, last season was essentially a washout for Mejia, who lost his father in January 2020 and then struggled to a .077/.143/.179 line across 42 PAs over a 17-game span. Nevertheless, the switch-hitting backstop appears primed for the fresh start he'll get in Tampa, having significantly impressed Rays third-base coach Rodney Linares with his play behind the plate and with the bat in the Dominican Winter League and fitting in seamlessly with team's catching plans as a complement to the right-handed Mike Zunino. Given Mejia once put together a 50-game hitting streak during his minor league days, the team essentially views last season's anemic offensive numbers as an outlier, while also having faith he'll refine his defensive skills with the help of the team's stellar coaching staff.

FEBRUARY 23, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Arrives at camp Mejia made it to camp Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact Mejia was slightly delayed getting back into the United States and then had to go through the intake process. Given that it's still well over a month until Opening Day, he should have plenty of time to get up to full speed by the time the regular season begins.

FEBRUARY 21, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Slight delay for quarantine Mejia was delayed getting into the country but should be able to join team workouts on Tuesday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Impact Similar logistical delays may pop up for a few players around the league given the difficulties of starting the season during a global pandemic. Mejia's teammate Diego Castillo's arrival has been delayed for the same reason. Both players won't be able to join their teammates until completing a mandatory quarantine, but they should have plenty of time to prepare for the start of the regular season, barring further delays.

FEBRUARY 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Tampa Bay Rays: A fresh start for Francisco Mejia may be the ticket Francisco Mejia finds himself with an opportunity to succeed with the Tampa Bay Rays. The San Diego Padres sent waves through the baseball w...

JANUARY 1, 2021 • CALLTOTHEPEN.COM

Deal in place with Tampa Bay Mejia is set to be traded from the Padres to the Rays in exchange for left-hander Blake Snell, pending a review of medical records, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Impact Mejia was unable to maintain a spot on the Padres' active roster in 2020 after the team acquired Austin Nola and Jason Castro during the season. Although Mejia struggled mightily over a limited sample last year, slashing .077/.143/.179 with one home run and two RBI over 42 plate appearances, he should compete for major-league playing time behind the dish as Mike Zunino also had a lackluster year in 2020.

DECEMBER 28, 2020 • ROTOWIRE