Devin Mesoraco has torn labrum as Cincinnati Reds’ injuries pile up

The definition of a "dilemma" is a choice between two equally unappealing options. Cincinnati Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco has a whopper of one on his hands, and it should be pretty familiar.

On Monday, an MRI revealed Mesoraco had a torn labrum in his left, non-throwing shoulder. So does he opt for surgery that would likely cost him the entire season, or try to play through the injury and maybe make it worse?

"Neither decision is any good," Mesoraco said. "It is what it is.”

The Reds placed Mesoraco on the 15-day disabled list before Monday's loss to the Giants, calling up catcher Ramon Cabrera to take his place. No decision on surgery was made after the game, and Mesoraco said he's still collecting information on his options. When asked if that meant a second opinion, the catcher said he trusts team physician Dr. Timothy Kremchek, but allowed that his agent may want him to have it checked out by another doctor just in case.

Last year, Mesoraco tried to play through a hip injury that ultimately required surgery. He knows the shoulder could deteriorate further if he pushes it, but also knows surgery is inevitable. The specter of missing a second full season hangs over him. Recovery from labrum surgery takes as much as four months.

"I’m going to definitely have to get surgery at some point," he said. "We’re just kind of weighing all the options."'

Mesoraco's injury is another in a long line of health woes for the Reds. Before the game, it caused manager Bryan Price to reach for a reference from The Flintstones. Specifically, Price thinks of a certain character, Schleprock, who always was besieged by bad luck. Schleprock literally walked under a dark cloud that followed him everywhere.

Price can certainly relate.

“Maybe we have to find the Schleprock in the organization, I don’t know,” Price said. “There is some bad health mojo going on right now.”

The news about Mesoraco was just the biggest of a bunch of sad tidings brought by Monday’s return to Great American Ball Park. Rehabbing right-handers Homer Bailey and Anthony DeSclafani are both shut down, at least temporarily, and fellow righty Jon Moscot could be in danger of missing his start Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants.

Among the team’s other position players, shortstop Zack Cozart and left fielder Adam Duvall were both out nursing maladies. Price doesn’t see a through-line between his team's myriad health concerns, but it’s enough to suggest to him that an accounting of the team’s practices when it comes to dealing with injuries ironically couldn’t hurt.

BAR: Checking in on Reds' haul from Johnny Cueto trade

“It’s just doing what you have to do when you’re in a situation and look internally,” Price said. “But I don’t think there is anything to find. I don’t think there is any smoking gun in this.”

Moscot is dealing with his own shoulder issue, although it affects his non-throwing shoulder.. Like Mesoraco, he met with team physician Dr. Timothy Kremchek on Monday. Moscot had surgery on the shoulder last year but it bothered him his last time out against the Mets in New York.

The team is concerned enough that it’s vetting potential rotation replacements for Moscot for Tuesday. One candidate could be left-hander John Lamb, who was set to make a final rehab start for the Louisville Bats on Monday. Not in consideration are top prospects Robert Stephenson and Cody Reed.

“We haven’t discussed them here in the immediate future,” Price said. “That doesn’t mean they won’t be here, but I have not been in discussions about those two.”

Next in the order of significance are the issues affecting Bailey and DeSclafani. Bailey is working back from Tommy John surgery and DeSclafani is recovering from an oblique injury, and both were close to coming off the disabled list before suffering setbacks.

DeSclafani keeps feeling sensation in his oblique and has been shut down for the short term, although exactly how long that will last has yet to be determined. Bailey thinks his issue is more with a nerve than with his ulnar collateral ligament, citing decreased sensation in his fingertips during his last rehab start.

“I was getting some weird feelings in my fingers,” Bailey said. “So that's what kind of let us know it was a nerve as opposed to the ligament or a tendon or anything.”

Bailey said the plan is to shut him down from throwing for five days, although he said his arm feels as strong as ever.

The absences of Cozart and Duvall shouldn’t be long ones. Cozart was dealing with some tendinitis in his surgically repaired knee, but Price said that’s to be expected at various points this year. Price went on to say that Cozart could be usable in some capacity despite not being in the lineup.

Duvall was out after running into the outfield wall headfirst in Pittsburgh on Sunday, although Price said sitting the young outfielder wasn’t completely injury-related. Fellow rookie outfielder Scott Schebler played well in Pittsburgh and deserved some time, Price said.

“I haven't heard any reason to think he's not capable of playing and that it's any different than any other day,” Price said.