Francisco Mejia’s return to the Rays group can be a short one. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel reports that the Rays launched the veteran backstop, who’d signed a minor league deal in late February. Mejia is as soon as once more a free agent.
The 28-year-old Mejia signed a minor league take care of the Angels over the winter however was granted his launch early in camp after the Halos apparently modified their plans behind the dish. He returned to the Rays a number of days later in hopes of successful a roster spot with the membership for whom he’d suited up over the three prior seasons.
Mejia solely tallied 19 plate appearances in huge league camp with the Rays however hit properly in that small pattern, going 6-for-18 with a pair of doubles, a stroll and two strikeouts. Mejia was within the combine for some catching time alongside Rene Pinto, competing with fellow non-roster invitee Alex Jackson in that regard. Yesterday’s acquisition of Ben Rortvedt altered the Rays’ plans, nevertheless. Rortvedt opened the season because the second catcher alongside Pinto, pushing Jackson to Triple-A alongside journeyman Rob Brantly. With Mejia once more left as one thing of an odd man out, he’ll head again to the market seeking new alternatives.
As soon as one of many sport’s prime all-around prospects, Mejia has but to hit on the main league stage regardless of piling up greater than 5 years of service time between Cleveland, San Diego and Tampa Bay. He touts a superb .306/.350/.519 batting line in 633 profession plate appearances on the Triple-A stage, however regardless of displaying promise in his first season with the Rays, he’s only a .239/.284/.394 hitter in almost 1100 MLB plate appearances.
Mejia’s protection has additionally been panned through the years. He’s lengthy been graded as a below-average framer, and his potential to regulate the operating sport utterly evaporated final season. In 2023, he threw out simply 4 of the 42 runners who tried to take a bag towards him. Statcast also ranks him as one of many least-effective catchers within the sport in terms of blocking balls within the grime.
Regardless of the dearth of massive league success, Mejia is a switch-hitter with a powerful observe file in Triple-A who’s nonetheless simply 28. Catching assistance is at all times in demand across the league, and whereas a staff actually isn’t prone to plug the previous prime prospect proper onto its huge league roster, he ought to discover alternatives to hitch somebody’s Triple-A membership and work his approach again to the massive leagues.
