The Tampa Bay Rays made a roster move prior to Tuesday’s game against Colorado Rockies, activating catcher Francisco Mejia from the 10-day injured list and designating him for assignment.
Mejia, 27, was acquired in December of 2020 from San Diego as part of the trade that sent pitcher Blake Snell to the Padres. He split time in each of the last two seasons with Mike Zunino and Christian Bethancourt, but was limited to just 50 games this season due to a knee injury. His production at the plate also dropped each year with Tampa Bay, reaching a low of .227/.258/.400 with five home runs and 19 RBI.
Tampa Bay will now put Mejia through waivers, and if unclaimed, can outright him off the 40-man roster, though the catcher does have enough service time to refuse an assignment to the minor leagues and opt to become a free agent.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
