27 Francisco Mejia C

Mejia is not in the lineup Sunday against the Diamondbacks.

Mejia has shown significantly more power against righties (.545 slugging percentage) than against lefties (.346 SLG) this season, so he'll head to the bench with southpaw Robbie Ray taking the hill for Arizona. Austin Hedges will replace him behind the dish for the season finale.

Mejia is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Giants, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Mejia will sit for a second straight contest as he continues to split time behind the dish with Austin Hedges, who has now started three of the last seven games at backstop (with Mejia starting the other four). The 22-year-old is hitting .217/.280/.457 with three homers and eight RBI through 17 games with the Padres this season.

Mejia is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Giants, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Mejia will give way to Austin Hedges behind the dish after starting the last two games, going 2-for-9 with a double and a run scored in those contests. The prospect, who is hitting .217/.280/.457 with three homers since joining the big club, has now started four of the last six games at catcher, a trend that could continue over the final week of the season and potentially carry into next year.

Mejia went 1-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Monday's 5-0 win over San Francisco.

Mejia had been splitting time evenly behind the dish with Austin Hedges since he joined the majors earlier this month, but he has now started four of the Friars' last five contests. The club is giving its top catching prospect an extended look over the final week of the season, but it could also be a sign of how the catching situation could shape up next year. Mejia is slashing .217/.280/.457 with three homers in San Diego.

Mejia went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Rangers.

Mejia's first career grand slam capped off a five-run ninth inning that sent the fans in San Diego home happy. The 22-year-old has provided some thump since joining the majors this month, slashing .259/.333/.630 in 29 plate appearances. Manager Andy Green has stayed true to his word, splitting playing time between Mejia and Austin Hedges evenly. It will be interesting to see how the Padres' catching situation unfolds next season, as Mejia possesses tremendous offensive upside at the shallow position.