Victor Mesa Jr. exits with hamstring injury Friday

Mesa indicated that he’s probably not ready to play the outfield. Jonny DeLuca is getting a start against a righty with Mesa sitting Saturday.

Mesa Jr. came ready to play in his first game hitting lead-off this season. He tripled on the fourth pitch of the game and Jonathan Aranda drove him home with a single shortly thereafter. Mesa Jr. then tripled again in his second at-bat, enjoying the cavernous outfield at Coors Field and showing off his speed in the process. He dropped down a beautiful safety squeeze later on as well to give the Rays one more insurance run. A big winner from the Rays’ lack of aggression at the trade deadline, Mesa Jr. is in position to maintain his strong-side platoon role in Tampa Bay’s outfield should he stay productive. Don’t expect him to stay in that top spot though, as this was simply an off day for Yandy Díaz. Regardless, it was still nice to see the club’s confidence in him as a hitter.

Seems like a routine day off for Díaz. Liam Hicks will play first base and Jonathan Aranda will DH. Victor Mesa Jr. will shift into the leadoff spot.

Mesa Jr. continues to play only against right-handed pitching, which is not great news because the Rays are scheduled to face only one more righty for the remainder of this week. The 24-year-old is hitting .316/.381/.737 over his last 15 games with five home runs, eight RBI, two steals, and a 41 percent hard-hit rate. He is set to face only right-handed pitchers next week, including three games in Coors Field, so he could be a solid waiver add this weekend.

Mesa failed to go deep for the first time in three games, but he supplied plenty of fantasy goodness with a pair of run-scoring singles in addition to picking up his fourth stolen base of the season. The 24-year-old boasts strong plate skills and has been makes frequent hard contact, which is a recipe for sustained success. He’s making the most of his opportunity with Tampa Bay recently and is at least worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper fantasy leagues heading into the final two months.

Mesa won’t get a chance to face Blue Jays veteran righty Kevin Gausman despite homering in each of his previous three contests. The 24-year-old has been scorching-hot at the dish and there’s plenty of underlying date, including a near-40 percent hard-hit rate, that suggests he can keep hitting for power. It’ll be Jonny DeLuca patrolling right field at the outset of Tuesday’s game in Toronto.

When you’re hot, you’re hot and Mesa is absolutely sizzling at the plate since last week’s All-Star break. The 24-year-old launched opened the scoring in this one by smashing a 412-foot solo shot into right-center field off Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease in the second inning. It was his lone hit in four at-bats, but it helped set the tone for an eventual lopsided victory. Mesa has now collected four homers and one stolen base over his last seven games. He isn’t likely to help much in the batting average department, but he’s emerging as a viable power and speed source that deserves consideration for a roster spot in deeper fantasy formats.

Mesa’s home run was his seventh of the season. He hit an inside-the-park home run off Sonny Gray in the second inning, a line drive to centerfield that got by Ceddanne Rafaela. He rounded third base and the throw to home plate actually beat him there, but the catcher couldn’t come up with the ball. Mesa’s hitting .216 with a .760 OPS and 14 RBI.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine night of rest for the speedy 25-year-old outfielder. Victor Mesa Jr. will start in his place in left field and bat seventh for the Rays against Zac Gallen and the Diamondbacks.

DeLuca has started four straight games and appears to have emerged as a regular starter in center field or right field. Since coming off the injured list earlier in June, he has gone 5-for-18 (.278) with two doubles, two home runs, four RBI, and one steal in six games. He’s slashing .270/.301/.453 in 47 games for the Rays this season and is an option in deeper formats even though he will sit one or two games a week. Victor Mesa Jr. will start in right field and bat eighth on Thursday.