If 2014 was a dream season for Cincinnati Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco, then 2015 has been a growing nightmare. The 2014 National League All-Star, who had career highs of 25 home runs and 80 RBIs with a .273 batting average last season, has been plagued by a left hip impingement that has held him to 45 at-bats, 25 of which have came while serving as a pinch or designated hitter.
A hip impingment is a significant problem for a catcher due to the bones constantly rubbing together while squatting, ultimately making one's range of motion very poor.
Earlier this month Mesoraco had this to say, "It's something you can't do any more damage to. The recovery from surgery is four to six months, so that's not going to come into play."
Cincinnati Manager Bryan Price and the Reds explored the idea of playing Mesoraco in left field when Marlon Byrd went to the DL (wrist fracture), but after three rehab games at Triple-A Louisville, in which he was one for seven batting, the pain increased resulting in Mesoraco's decision to have surgery immediately rather than waiting until the end of the season.
Currently, his procedure is scheduled to be performed by Dr. Bryan Kelly on June 29th in New York, with the expected rehabilitation time estimated to be four to six months. With that being the case, Mesoraco joins the growing list of Cincinnati Reds to have season-ending surgery in 2015, including shortstop Zach Cozart and starting pitchers Homer Bailey and Jon Moscot. The 15th overall pick in the 2007 Draft hoped to return with a better range of motion in his squat, in addition to being pain-free when the start of Spring Training rolls around.
The Reds will continue to use a combination of Bryan Peña (.297 average and 11 RBIs) as starter and Tucker Barnhart (.226 average, three home runs, and five RBIs) as back-up behind the plate for the remainder of the 2015 season.