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The Tampa Bay Rays' injury issues continued when catcher Francisco Mejia made a premature exit on Thursday. Mejia sustained a knee injury against the Baltimore Orioles and has been put on the 10-day injured list following further assessment.
Triple-A catcher Rene Pinto has been recalled to replace Mejia on the 26-man roster ahead of Friday's game against Baltimore. Pinto managed two homers and 10 RBIs in 25 games last season.
The Dominican catcher sustained the injury while trying to tag out Baltimore’s Anthony Santander in the first game of a four-game series. Mejia was eventually replaced by Christian Bethancourt in the seventh inning.
An MRI after the game revealed that the 27-year-old suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee. The Rays took no chance with his injury and replaced him with Pinto to serve as Bethancourt's backup. Pinto had been on a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League after suffering a bruised right hand in May.
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The Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin broke the news on Twitter.
The Tampa Bay Rays are struggling to cope with frequent injuries
The injury couldn't have come at a worse time for the team, as Mejia was starting to up his offense.
He had provided an early lead to the Rays in the second inning with an RBI single. The RBI single extended Mejia's hitting streak to five games, his highest of the season. Before his injury, the Dominican catcher managed five homers and 19 RBIs in 50 MLB games this season.
The Rays started the season on fire, reaching 50 wins in franchise-record time. However, a plethora of season-ending injuries to Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen completely derailed their charge.
Tampa Bay slipped to a 4-3 loss against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night despite leading in the second inning. It was their fifth consecutive loss as the Orioles dethroned them at the top of the American League East.
Mejia's injury has further fueled talks of the franchise signing a pitcher at the trade deadline.
The Orioles will be up against the Rays for the second game on Friday.
