CINCINNATI -- Catcher Devin Mesoraco shagged fly balls in left field Friday, trying to learn the intricacies of a position he hasn't played since high school.
If all goes well, he'll be out there for the Cincinnati Reds in a couple of weeks.
Mesoraco went on the disabled list last month with a sore left hip that bothers him when he crouches but isn't a problem when he hits or runs. Rather than have surgery now, he has decided to try to play left field for the Reds, who lost left fielder Marlon Byrd to a broken wrist this week.
Mesoraco will practice taking fly balls from coach Billy Hatcher for a few days, then go to the minors, play left field and see how it works out.
"Once Marlon went down, I figured it would be good to see if this is something we could do," Mesoraco said. "I need to go out there and play a little bit. When they deem me ready, put me out there and say, 'Go get 'em.'"
Mesoraco's hip has bothered him all season, relegating him mostly to pinch hitting and being a DH during interleague games. Doctors initially thought that the hip might heal if he stayed away from catching, but it still bothers him when he crouches. Mesoraco is batting .178 with no homers and two RBIs.
He had a breakout season last year, making the All-Star team for the first time. He joined Johnny Bench as the only other player in Reds history to have at least 25 homers and 80 RBIs as a catcher.
Doctors have told him he can't injure the hip by playing, so he is putting off the surgery.
"It's something you can't do any more damage to," Mesoraco said. "The recovery from surgery is four to six months, so that's not going to come into play."
The Reds are also making changes to their pitching staff. They put starter Raisel Iglesias on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique and called up right-hander Jon Moscot to make his major league debut Friday night against the San Diego Padres.
In the bullpen, Cincinnati designated Jason Marquis for assignment and called up right-hander Pedro Villarreal from Triple-A Louisville. Marquis opened the season in the rotation but was switched to the bullpen after struggling.
Marquis' last start was May 25 against Colorado. He went 3-4 with a 6.46 ERA in nine starts before his demotion and didn't make an appearance out of the bullpen.
"We are kind of going with our youth movement," manager Bryan Price said. "We'll see what we have in our system and if they're ready."
Iglesias is part of their youth movement -- Cincinnati has three rookies in the rotation -- but he felt soreness in his left side after his start Saturday against Washington. Price said Iglesias' side was still bothering him when he tried to throw again, prompting the move to the disabled list Friday. Iglesias is 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA in four starts and two relief appearances.
"It's one of those things that can definitely get worse by pitching," Price said. "So we decided to go the safe route."
Price said Moscot, the top pitching prospect at Louisville, will get several starts while Iglesias is sidelined.