Francisco Mejia called up by Indians, will DH against Yankees tonight

The Cleveland Indians have called up top prospect Francisco Mejia to finish out the weekend series against the New York Yankees before the All-Star break.

To make room on the roster, they have also optioned pitcher Shane Bieber, who can stay on schedule over the All-Star break with a start in the minors. His optioned for this season is already burned, anyway, so no harm, no foul there.

According to the team, Mejia will be the designated hitter tonight when they take on the New York Yankees at 7:10 p.m.

Mejia is slashing .279/.329/.428 with the Triple--A Columbus Clippers this season, and was on fire throughout the month of June, leading many to wonder why he wasn’t getting the call up to the majors to replace the ineffective Roberto Perez, or take one of the growing number of spots available in the outfield. As it turns out, Mejia may not be so open to switching positions at the major-league level, despite getting a lot of work in the minors as an outfielder.

The 22-year-old prospect made a handful of appearances with the Indians last September, but never made a start as a catcher — only as a pinch-hitter, designated hitter, or late-game replacement at catcher. He’s DHing tonight, and with Trevor Bauer on the mound tomorrow (a pitcher who prefers Roberto Perez), it’s unlikely we’ll see him make his first start behind the dish this weekend.

On one hand, this could be another tactic for the Indians to convince Mejia to switch positions, or on the other hand it could be a showcase of his hitting ability for potential trade partners if he flat-out refuses to be an outfielder.