Victor Mesa Jr. Made Rays Franchise History Against Rockies
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When the starting lineup for the Tampa Bay Rays was announced for the finale in their three-game set on the road at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies, a lot of people were surprised.
It wasn’t designated hitter Yandy Diaz in the leadoff spot. He was being given the day off, with Jonathan Aranda, who normally plays first base, taking over as the designated hitter. Liam Hicks, the team’s big trade deadline acquisition for the lineup, was at first base.
With Diaz not in the lineup, someone else had to be inserted into the leadoff spot. Out of the 114 games the team has played, Diaz has held that spot 78 times. For the first time this season, manager Kevin Cash decided to go with outfielder Victor Mesa Jr.
It was a shakeup that paid immediate dividends, with the young outfielder making franchise history in the process. He started the game off with a triple to right field, coming around to score on Aranda’s single to stake the team to an early 1-0 lead.
Victor Mesa Jr. makes Rays history with back-to-back triples
Mesa would come up to bat again in the top of the second inning, this time with two outs. Just like the first at-bat, he hit another triple, this time hitting it to deep center field. Unfortunately, Aranda wasn’t able to bring him in this time, as he struck out swinging.
But franchise history was made. As shared by Ryan Bass on X, he became the first Rays player in franchise history to hit a triple in each of the first two innings of a game. The last time anyone in baseball accomplished that feat was Mookie Betts on July 13, 2018, against the Toronto Blue Jays.
It was the first two triples of Mesa’s career, giving him 12 extra-base hits on the season. He wasn’t expected to have such a prominent role with Tampa Bay this season, but with Jake Fraley injured, someone else had to step up as the left-handed hitter in the outfielder platoon.
He was given a chance and has run with the opportunity. Mesa has more than held his own at the Big League level with a 101 OPS+ across 151 plate appearances. He has provided a real source of power for the team with a slugging percentage of .738 against right-handed pitching.
Victor Mesa Jr. is the first player in Rays franchise history to hit two triples in the first two innings of a game.
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) August 5, 2026
First MLB player to do that since the Red Sox's Mookie Betts on July 13, 2018 vs the Toronto Blue Jays.
While the power production at the plate has put him in the team’s record books, he has found other ways to be impactful on the field. He is a stellar defender, with a +6 Fielding Run Value, which is in the 87th percentile.
His Range (Outs Above Average) is also elite at +5, but he has not played enough innings to qualify for leaderboards yet. To top it off, he has an incredibly strong arm, with his arm strength being in the 93rd percentile.
That all culminates in a great piece off the bench for Cash to deploy.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.