Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. scores on a single by left fielder Chandler Simpson during a Major League Baseball game against the Houston Astros at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on September 13, 2026. The Rays defeated the Astros 14-4 to sweep the series. (Photo by Kim Hukari/Image of Sport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Victor Mesa Jr. does not care to look in the rearview mirror when he can clearly see what is on tap today while keeping an eye on tomorrow. If he took a moment to glance back at the week of September 7, what he would see is mighty impressive.
Indeed, the 25-year-old Cuban-born right fielder with the American League East champion Tampa Bay Rays was the circuit’s player of the week thanks to batting .556 (10-for-18) with three homers (in consecutive games) among six extra-base hits, and six RBI. He was the team’s first outfielder to win the award since Manuel Margot in 2022.
It was a highlight-reel week for the lefthanded hitting and lefthanded throwing Mesa, and part of a post IL-stint in which he batted .355 (21-for-59) in 18 games, including six multi-hit efforts, through Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Yankees in the Bronx.
“He’s a sparkplug in the middle of our lineup who can do a little bit of everything,” said pitcher Drew Rasmussen, who won Tuesday’s nightcap. “His defense has been phenomenal. At the plate, he bunts, he hits for power, he hits for average. It has been a full menu.”
Mesa, who was called up from Triple-A Durham on May 24 and made his Tampa Bay debut the next day, was placed on the injured list August 19 with a strained hamstring. The injury stalled the progress he was making in his first extended stretch as a big leaguer after getting a taste (16 games) of the majors with the Marlins last season. While such a setback that resulted in missing 12 games could be frustrating, Mesa preferred to look beyond the injury and at how he could better help his team in a pennant chase.
“The way I take it, is that everything happens for a reason,” he said, ahead of last weekend’s series against the visiting Red Sox. “When I came back, I knew I had to come back in the best way. So, instead of looking at how disappointing it was (to miss games), I was looking at how fast I could come back and help the team win games.”
Frankly, that is how the son of a former Cuban League star by the same name, who won gold at the 1992 Summer Olympics as a player and managed the Cuban entry in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, is wired.
“I don’t like to look at the past,” said Mesa, who along with his brother, Victor Victor, defected from Cuba in 2018, and both signed with the Marlins on the same day a few months following their defection. “I really like to live in the present and, hopefully, let’s keep going forward with everyone trying our best. That’s where my mind is.”
Victor Mesa Jr. just needed some reps
The Rays acquired Mesa for a minor league infielder from the Marlins in February one week before the club’s first full squad workout in Port Charlotte. He hit .317 in 42 games with Triple-A and International League champ Jacksonville in 2025, an injury-marred campaign that included three stints on the IL. Injuries also hindered Mesa in his first spring training with Tampa Bay. Still, the skill he displayed impressed.
“Watching him the outfield doing drill work or playing games, you could tell it came easy for him out there,” said manager Kevin Cash. “He is an elite defensive outfielder. He didn’t play a ton in the spring training because he was nicked up with calf and hamstring injuries, but with the (simulated game) at-bats he got, you could tell he had a good approach and smooth swing.”
At first, getting regular playing time meant being healthy and in the lineup at Triple-A Durham. Mesa responded by hitting .307 in 23 games, though the hamstring acted up and sidelined him for a few weeks. Once he arrived at Tropicana field, it was clear he could be a player to watch.
Mesa, who has a cannon of an arm in right field, headed into the final of the week of the regular season hitting .252 with 14 homers, 31 RBI, an .818 OPS and nine stolen bases. It is certainly a good set of numbers for all of 218 at-bats.
“When you look at his numbers over a short time span, they’re pretty impressive,” said Rasmussen. “I think what we saw in the spring, his talent was off the charts. But I don’t know if we could have ever guessed how he was actually going to be for us.”
Mesa, who sports about 60 tattoos, including three of Messi, who he saw play in person for the first time in 2024 at an Inter Miami match, and the Rays are postseason bound. They clinched a playoff berth September 11 before nailing down the division with a 6-1 win over the Yankees in the second game of Tuesday’s twin bill. He could care less what team they play in the ALDS, the Yankees or Red Sox, who meet in the wild card.
“I don’t like too much to look at other teams,” he said. “I really focus on what we’re doing here and we are doing something special. So, let’s keep it going.”
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