Minor League Baseball

Tampa Bay Rays Rookie Outfielder Off to Amazing Start of Long-Awaited MLB Career

Jake Mangum was called up from Triple-A Durham after Rays OF Josh Lowe was placed on the 10-day injured list.
Jami Leabow|
Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Jake Mangum (28) doubles against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., on March 31, 2025.
Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Jake Mangum (28) doubles against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., on March 31, 2025. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Tampa Bay Rays

Jake Mangum, a career minor leaguer, finally got his long-awaited call to the major leagues.

And after his performance on Monday with the Tampa Bay Rays, the 29-year-old undoubtedly can say it was worth the wait.

Despite a spectacular spring training batting line of .429/.467/.750 and an OPS of 1.217, Mangum was sent to Triple-A Durham to begin a second season with the team. But when he came off the field after batting practice Friday night ahead of the season opener in Norfolk, Va., Mangum heard the news.

He was heading to Tampa, Fla.

An oblique strain for Rays outfielder Josh Lowe, who was placed on the 10-day injured list, opened a roster spot for Mangum.

He made it to Tampa in time for the Rays’ game on Saturday against the Colorado Rockies and was in the starting lineup Sunday, playing right field and batting second. He went 0-for-3 with a walk in the 6-4 Rays win.

Monday was a different story. Dropped to eighth in the lineup, he was 4-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, a run and two stolen bases in the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a 6-1 win.

Friends and family were in attendance, and Mangum said in his postgame interview with local reporter Ryan Bass that his mom would get custody of the ball from his first major league hit.

Mangum played four seasons at Mississippi State and was selected by the New York Mets in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Known as the “Mayor of Starkville” because of his fan-favorite status in college, he set a Southeastern Conference record with 383 hits and had a career batting average of .357 with 73 doubles, 10 triples, five homers, 126 RBIs and 56 steals.

He played in two College World Series.

Making the night even more special on Monday was the presence of Adam Frazier on the field with the Pirates. Frazier also played at Mississippi State, and Mangum said he loved watching him play.

“Just to take the field against him, that was awesome for me, but the night was unbelievable,” he said in the postgame interview. “A great team win and we can get to go win a series tomorrow night.”

The Mets traded Mangum to the Miami Marlins, who later traded him to the Rays. After a stellar five-year minor league career that saw him win the International League batting title with a .317 batting average in 2024, he’ll stick with the Rays if he continues to have nights like he did Monday.

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Jami Leabow
JAMI LEABOW

Jami Leabow is the managing editor of Minor League Baseball on SI. Her love for the game began when her parents bought season tickets to the then-California Angels.

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