Mesoraco continuing to rehab on active roster

CINCINNATI -- Sunday marked two weeks since Devin Mesoraco last caught a game for the Reds. But the club is still resisting placing Mesoraco on the disabled list because of an impingement in his left hip.

Mesoraco has been limited to pinch-hitting duties, which he has done three times since April 12, including a fifth-inning walk on Sunday.

"Unless we get into a situation where we feel we need a player that can do more than solely pinch-hit, he'll continue to do his rehab in preparation to get back behind the plate," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "It will still be a few more days before we kick the tires on Devin getting down into the crouch and doing some catching work. At this point in time, he can still contribute as an offensive player. In the big picture, he replaced Chris Dominguez, and Chris was getting some limited opportunities to play as a pinch-hitter, but it can be a very valuable role."

Dominguez went hitless in three pinch-hit at-bats the first week of the season before he was optioned to Triple-A Louisville. Of course, there are some big differences between Mesoraco and Dominguez. For starters, Mesoraco is an All-Star in the first year of a four-year, $28 million contract.

Tucker Barnhart has served as the No. 2 catcher, while Brayan Pena has taken on most of the catching duties.

"We're hoping that we can avoid even having to mention the disabled list with Devin, but we'll see how it goes," Price said.