Víctor Mesa Jr.

Víctor Mesa Jr.
Mesa with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in 2024
Tampa Bay Rays – No. 25
Outfielder
Born: (2001-09-08) September 8, 2001 (age 24)
Havana, Cuba
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
May 26, 2025, for the Miami Marlins
MLB statistics
(through 2025 season)
Batting average.188
Home runs1
Runs batted in6
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Cuba
U-15 Baseball World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2016 Iwaki Team

Víctor Mesa Jr. (born September 8, 2001) is a Cuban professional baseball outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Miami Marlins.

Early life

Mesa is the son of Víctor Mesa, a longtime player and manager in the Cuban National Series, and the younger brother of Víctor Víctor Mesa. Mesa and his brother defected from Cuba in 2018.[1]

Career

Miami Marlins

After they were declared free agents, both Mesa brothers signed with the Marlins on October 22, 2018. Mesa received a $1 million signing bonus.[2]

Mesa made his professional debut in 2019 with the Gulf Coast League Marlins, batting .284/.366/.398 with one home run, 24 runs batted in (RBI), and seven stolen bases over 47 games played. Mesa did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] In 2021, for the Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads, Mesa batted .266/.317/.402 with five home runs, 71 RBI, and 12 stolen bases in 112 games.[4] In 2022, he played in 121 games for the High-A Beloit Snappers, batting .244/.323/.346 with five home runs, 50 RBI, and 10 stolen bases.[5]

On April 18, 2023, while playing for the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Mesa hit for the cycle in a game against the Birmingham Barons.[6] In 123 games for Pensacola, he batted .242/.308/.412 with career-highs in home runs (18), RBI (76), and stolen bases (16).[7]

On November 14, 2023, the Marlins added Mesa to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[8] He was optioned to the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp to begin the 2024 season.[9] In 83 appearances split between Jupiter and Jacksonville, Mesa slashed .255/.318/.423 with 13 home runs, 51 RBI, and five stolen bases.

The Marlins optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville to begin the 2025 season.[10] On May 26, 2025, Mesa was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[11] He made his major league debut that day and recorded his first hit the next day.[12] On September 8, his 24th birthday, Mesa hit his first career home run off of Shinnosuke Ogasawara of the Washington Nationals.[13] In 16 appearances for Miami during his rookie campaign, Mesa batted .188/.297/.344 with one home run and six RBI.

On February 3, 2026, Mesa was designated for assignment by the Marlins.[14]

Tampa Bay Rays

On February 6, 2026, the Marlins traded Mesa to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Angel Brachi.[15]He was optioned to minor league camp on March 11.[16]

Personal life

Mesa became a United States citizen in February 2024.[17]

References

  1. ^ "Longtime manager Victor Mesa's sons leave Cuba". MLB.com.
  2. ^ "Mesa brothers sign with Marlins". MiLB.com. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  3. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  4. ^ "Victor Mesa Stats & Scouting Report". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  5. ^ "Victor Mesa Jr. - Stats - Batting". fangraphs.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  6. ^ "Victor Mesa Jr. Hits for Historic Cycle In Series Opener". milb.com. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  7. ^ Jackson, Barry (February 9, 2024). "The twist with Mesa brothers after the Marlins' $6.25 million investment. And new arms". Miami Herald.
  8. ^ "Marlins Select Anthony Maldonado, Victor Mesa Jr". MLB Trade Rumors. November 14, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  9. ^ "Marlins Trim Spring Roster With First Round of Cuts". marlinsbaseball.com. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  10. ^ "Mesa Jr. among Marlins' first spring cuts". mlb.com. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  11. ^ "Marlins place OF Derek Hill on IL and bring up Victor Mesa Jr. from minors". AP News. May 26, 2025. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  12. ^ De Nicola, Christina (May 28, 2025). "Victor Mesa Jr. gets first MLB hit and RBI with Marlins". MLB.com. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  13. ^ De Nicola, Christina (September 9, 2025). "Victor Mesa Jr. hits first homer on 24th birthday". MLB.com. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  14. ^ "Marlins Claim Garrett Acton, Designate Victor Mesa Jr. For Assignment". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  15. ^ "Rays Claim Victor Mesa Jr". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  16. ^ "Rays' Victor Mesa: Sent to minor-league camp". CBS Sports. March 11, 2026. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  17. ^ McPherson, Jordan (February 23, 2024). "Miami Marlins Q&A: Victor Mesa Jr. talks citizenship, baseball and Lionel Messi". Miami Herald.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%ADctor_Mesa_Jr.