Victor

Mesa Jr.

Jacob Misiorowski was considerably more lethal against lefties than righties this season, and the Rays don’t think it’s a fluke. As a result, Richie Palacios and Victor Mesa Jr. are sitting tonight, as is the long-forgotten Cedric Mullins. The lineup: DH Yandy Díaz, 1B Jonathan Aranda, 3B Junior Caminero, C Liam Hicks, CF Jonny DeLuca, LF Chandler Simpson, 2B Williamson, RF Vilade and SS Taylor Walls.

Vilade started over Aranda at first base against a lefty on Monday. That Mesa committed a miscue in that one might factor into him taking a seat tonight, but on paper, going to Vilade against a righty seems like a bit of a downgrade both offensively and defensively. The Rays’ lineup as they try to extend the series: DH Yandy Díaz, 1B Aranda, 3B Junior Caminero, C Liam Hicks, CF Jonny DeLuca, LF Chandler Simpson, RF Vilade, 2B Richie Palacios and SS Taylor Walls.

Williamson has been functioning in a short-side platoon role with nearly all of his starts coming against left-handers, so it’s interesting to see him in there against Brewers’ ace Jacob Misiorowski for Game 1. Here’s the full lineup that manager Kevin Cash will deploy as the Rays look to secure the first World Series title in their franchise’s history: Yandy Díaz (DH), Jonathan Aranda (1B), Chandler Simpson (LF), Junior Caminero (3B), Liam Hicks (C), Jonny DeLuca (CF), Victor Mesa Jr. (RF), Ben Williamson (2B) and Taylor Walls (SS).

The Rays will utilize the same starting nine that they used in Thursday’s loss in Game 3, but the batting order has changed. Simpson moves up from fifth to third while Junior Caminero slides into the cleanup spot. Here’s the full lineup that the Rays will deploy against Shawn Armstrong and a host of Guardians’ relievers: Yandy Diaz (DH), Jonathan Aranda (1B), Simpson (LF), Junior Caminero (3B), Liam Hicks (C), Victor Mesa Jr. (RF), Jonny DeLuca (CF), Richie Palacios (2B) and Taylor Walls (SS).

Vilade posted an .818 OPS against southpaws during the regular season and will get a chance to face Guardians starter Foster Griffin at Tropicana Field to kick off the best-of-seven showdown. The 27-year-old lefty-masher blasted a solo homer off Yankees ace Max Fried during Tampa Bay’s series-clinching victory last week. Here’s the full lineup: Yandy Díaz (DH), Jonathan Aranda (1B), Junior Caminero (3B), Vilade (LF), Victor Mesa Jr. (RF), Jonny DeLuca (CF), Ben Williamson (2B), Taylor Walls (SS) and Nick Fortes (C).

Mesa connected on a hanging slider from Yankees ace Max Fried, sending a majestic 401-foot moonshot into the front row of the right-field seats to put Tampa Bay ahead with two outs in the sixth inning. It was his lone hit in four at-bats, but it made the difference in a low-scoring showdown in New York as the Rays completed a sweep of their division rivals to punch their ticket to the ALCS for the first time since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. They’ll face either the White Sox or Guardians later this week at Tropicana Field.

Rays manager Kevin Cash isn’t making any changes following a series-opening victory where Jonathan Aranda’s solo homer was enough for a nearly-flawless Drew Rasmussen, who took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning. Caminero, who is likely to finish near the top of AL MVP Award balloting, finished a phenomenal regular season with 42 home runs, reaching the lofty 40-homer plateau for the second straight season. Here’s the full lineup: Yandy Díaz (DH), Jonathan Aranda (1B), Junior Caminero (3B), Liam Hicks (C), Chandler Simpson (LF), Victor Mesa Jr. (RF), Jonny DeLuca (CF), Richie Palacios (2B) and Taylor Walls (SS).

If the Rays had anything meaningful to play for on Sunday, he would probably be in there, but he’ll get an extra day to rest in advance of the postseason. Victor Mesa Jr. will start in his place in left field and will bat leadoff for the Rays against Zack Wheeler and the Phillies on Sunday afternoon.

Mesa also singled, and he came around to score three times in the blowout win. The 25-year-old has had a solid season at the plate for the Rays, and he’s now the owner of an .825 OPS and 33 RBI; the latter figure more understandable because he’s played in only 78 games in 2026. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of role he has for Tampa Bay in the postseason; he’s earned a look.

Mullins has not started against any of the last five left-handed pitchers the Rays have faced, and they will face Carlos Rodon and Max Fried on Tuesday, which means it’s unlikely that Mullins starts either game. Jonny DeLuca should continue to take his place in center field, but it’s interesting to note that both Chandler Simpson and Victor Mesa Jr. are in the lineup on Tuesday and have started against the last three lefties. They may both be emerging as full-time players for the Rays.