NEW YORK — The Tampa Bay Rays placed outfielder Jonny DeLuca on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain and recalled 24-year-old outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. from Triple-A Durham ahead of their series finale at Yankee Stadium.
DeLuca exited Tampa Bay’s 4-2 win over the Yankees on Friday night in the seventh inning due to the injury. He was set to undergo an MRI that would reveal more about how long he will be out. “I think he got it pretty good,” manager Kevin Cash said, “but we’ll wait to see what the MRI says.” DeLuca called the setback “just a bummer” after injuries limited him to 20 games last season.
Mesa, who joined the Rays in a February trade with the Marlins, was playing for Durham on Friday night when he was pulled from the lineup shortly after DeLuca’s exit. “Then they told me again, ‘Hey, go change. You’re going to New York. Go change,’” Mesa said, smiling. “I’m ready to help. The team’s doing great. I’ve just got to support whatever the team needs from me, and I’m ready to do whatever. It’s fun to be here.”
A left-handed hitter who can play all three outfield spots, Mesa made his Major League debut for Miami last season, slashing .188/.297/.344 in 16 games. He recently spent nearly a month on Durham’s injured list with a right hamstring injury of his own but returned to the lineup Wednesday and was slashing .329/.420/.543 in 18 games for the Bulls. “He’s very instinctual out in the outfield and really goes and gets it,” Cash said. “With his speed, I think he could really add to our position player group.”
The Rays are thin in the outfield with right fielder Jake Fraley sidelined by a sports hernia and outfield prospect Jacob Melton dealing with a sprained left ankle in Triple-A. Ryan Vilade will continue to see time in right field, especially against left-handed pitchers. Cash said the club has also discussed moving primary second baseman Richie Palacios — who has held that role all season in the absence of Gavin Lux — to the outfield on occasion. “I think we’ll see Richie Palacios pop out there at times,” Cash said. “Even when Fraley went down, it made sense to get Richie familiarized again without the outfield.”
Ben Williamson, temporarily sidelined by a lower back strain, is doing “better,” according to Cash, and is hoping to return when first eligible to come off the injured list next weekend. Recently acquired infielder Oliver Dunn, who has shown the ability to play anywhere, could also get some reps in the outfield in the meantime.