What happened to Francisco Mejia? Rays catcher exits important game vs Orioles early

Tampa Bay Rays catcher Francisco Mejia's day ended early on Thursday. The slugger exited the game early, dealing with left knee discomfort. Christian Bethancourt came on to replace him.

It is unclear how the injury occurred, but Mejia left the game in the seventh innings. Mejia will now be considered daily until the team gets a clear understanding of the injury.

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Francisco Mejia was 1-2 with an RBI before he exited the game. This will be a tough injury for Tampa Bay to deal with if he has to take a trip to the IL. Mejia has been streaking at the plate as of late.

Bethancourt will likely get most of the action if Mejia has to move to the IL. In 62 games this season, Bethancourt is hitting .228/.251/.391 with seven home runs and 22 RBIs.

Francisco Mejia's injury will not help the Tampa Bay Rays end their skid

After starting the season on fire, the Tampa Bay Rays have cooled off. Starting the year with a record of 27-6, they are now 60-39. They are currently on a four-game losing streak and seemingly cannot get their feet underneath them.

Injuries have played a big part in this team's recent rough stretch as they have lost three starting pitchers for the year. Shane Baz, Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen all had season-ending surgeries.

While they have not seen many injuries besides the pitching staff, that could change with the news of Francisco Mejia.

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Luckily, the Rays still have a strong rotation but could use another arm. Many expect them to try and land a pitcher at the trade deadline. They have been tied to Detroit Tigers pitcher Michael Lorenzen and Chicago Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman. Expect the Rays to land a player or two at the trade deadline.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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Edited by Jared "Bloomy" Bloom