Rays place Mesa (hamstring) on IL, recall C Piper among series of moves

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays placed Victor Mesa Jr. on the 10-day injured list Wednesday afternoon due to a strained left hamstring, as expected, but they didn’t replace him with another outfielder.

Tampa Bay recalled catcher Kenny Piper from Triple-A Durham as part of a series of roster moves, making the decision to at least temporarily carry three catchers rather than add another left-handed-hitting outfielder. Additionally, the Rays optioned right-hander Jesse Scholtens -- who pitched four innings of two-run ball Tuesday to help out a beleaguered Tampa bullpen -- to Triple-A and recalled right-hander Chris Roycroft to fill out the bullpen.

Mesa exited Tuesday night’s series opener against the Blue Jays in the fourth inning due to tightness in his left hamstring, which had been bothering him since he left Friday’s game with the same issue.

Manager Kevin Cash said Tuesday night that Mesa’s hamstring was “cranky, acting up on him. Can’t quite get over the hump where he wants.” But the Rays are optimistic that Mesa will be ready to return by the end of the month, if not a little later.

Mesa has played an important role for the Rays since right fielder Jake Fraley went down with an injury, serving as their primary left-handed-hitting option in right field while getting occasional work in center. In addition to flashing his range and strong arm in the outfield, the rookie has provided pop at the plate with 10 homers and a .735 OPS in 56 games.

“I think our hope is it's a minimum stint. He's a big part of our team,” Cash said. “He's done a lot of good things with some limited opportunities to start, and then he made the most of it and kind of came in and contributed quite a bit.”

In his absence, right-handed hitters Ryan Vilade and Jonny DeLuca will continue to get more work in right field alongside Chandler Simpson in left and Cedric Mullins in center. Fraley is expected to begin a Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, and No. 8 prospect Jacob Melton (right hamstring strain) is nearing a return to Triple-A game action.

The Rays have a couple of left-handed-hitting outfield options in Triple-A, namely Jack Suwinski and Jake Cave, but neither is on the 40-man roster. Plus, they saw another need they could address by recalling Piper to join Liam Hicks and Nick Fortes behind the plate.

Hicks had not been catching on a regular basis with the Marlins when the Rays acquired him at the Trade Deadline, but he has been thrust into regular duty with Tampa Bay. Cash said having Piper will allow the Rays to “balance his workload,” and they can be more aggressive using him and Fortes as pinch-hitters knowing they have a third catcher who can capably fill in on defense.

Piper, who was with Durham for a series against Triple-A Gwinnett, caught a flight from Atlanta to join the Rays on Wednesday at Tropicana Field. This is his second stint with the team after he came up from Double-A Montgomery to make his unexpected MLB debut on Aug. 3.

“It’s exciting. I think the debut is going to be about as nerve-wracking as it gets, and you just keep getting more comfortable,” Piper said, smiling. “That’s what I’ve heard, at least.”

Piper has never played a game at the Trop, although he has taken part in some offseason workouts inside the Rays’ home ballpark. It’s just one more unique element of a wild ride that’s taken Piper, his wife and his 1 1/2-year-old daughter from Double-A to the Majors, back to Triple-A with a spot on the 40-man roster and now back to the big leagues.

“It's been pretty chaotic. It's been a blast. My wife and baby have been with me the whole time, which is amazing,” Piper said. “We feel the pains of travel, for sure, so it's felt crazy. But I know that we're going to look back on this fondly and like it's one of the most exciting times of our lives.”