ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays reinstated Victor Mesa Jr. from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday afternoon, as expected, and the athletic outfielder immediately made an impact by picking up three hits in their 6-2 win over the Mets at Tropicana Field.
Mesa had been on the IL since Aug. 19 due to a left hamstring strain, which had limited him to one pinch-hit appearance and one abbreviated start since the issue forced him to leave the Rays’ 6-5 loss to the Orioles on Aug. 14.
Mesa recovered quickly and tested his leg by playing five straight days on a Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham last week. That fully prepared him to play on Tuesday, as active rosters expanded from 26 to 28 players for the final month of the regular season, and he returned to the lineup against Mets left-hander Sean Manaea, batting eighth and playing right field.
“Obviously, I was a little bit frustrated because I felt the injury kind of [came] in a moment that I was feeling good,” Mesa said. “But obviously, you’ve got to listen to your body. It's better to take a step back now than after. I’m feeling great because [of] the way that I came back and hopefully [I can] stay healthy this whole way and try to help the team."
Mesa did just that on his first day back in the big leagues. Hardly missing a beat, he singled and scored in the third inning, singled in the fourth, made a productive out during the Rays’ three-run sixth then singled again and slid home safely in the eighth.
“He was ready. That's not the ideal matchup to put a lefty in, but it didn't bother him. He probably didn't even know Manaea was pitching,” Rays manager Kevin Cash joked. “But happy to have him back.”
The Rays also recalled right-handed reliever Alex Cook from Triple-A Durham to round out their roster, but his stay might be short. Tampa Bay is expected to activate starter Griffin Jax (right elbow discomfort) from the 15-day injured list to rejoin their rotation on Wednesday night.
It will be Jax’s first start for the Rays since Aug. 2. He was scratched from his scheduled start in Seattle on Aug. 8, went on the IL the next day then received an injection to “calm the back of the elbow down” after being tested by Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas on Aug. 10.
Jax progressed quickly after that. He faced teammates Jake Fraley and Gavin Lux for two innings of live BP at Tropicana Field then made a three-inning rehab start for Durham on Aug. 23. He pitched four innings in a simulated game on Aug. 28 and came out of that feeling good enough to get back to the big leagues.
Mesa’s .227 batting average with the Rays might not jump off the page, but he played a valuable role for Tampa Bay before going on the IL. In 57 games this season, he has recorded 10 home runs, 22 RBIs and six stolen bases. He is a quality defender all over the outfield, and his strong arm is an asset in right field.
“Those [rehab] games helped me to kind of have the confidence back. Once I'm here, I'm ready to give my 100% for the team,” Mesa said Tuesday afternoon. “Obviously, the best thing that you can do is kind of get that out of your mind and focus and know that you're healed, that you feel better and keep going. For me, that's the key.
“Like, forget that I had that and get it out of your mind and do my best at home plate, in the outfield, whatever. I'm here to help again.”
Despite his relatively limited playing time, Mesa ranks 12th on the Rays with 1.2 WAR, according to Baseball Reference. Tampa Bay called on Mesa to serve as the primary right fielder against right-handed pitching after losing Fraley to a hernia, which he is still working his way back from.
In Mesa’s absence, the Rays had been using right-handed hitters Jonny DeLuca and Ryan Vilade in right field.
“We're all excited to have him back. He was doing things on both sides of the ball to really help us,” Cash said before the game. “He's played just tremendous defense for us. I think he got enough timing and at-bats in Durham.”