TAMPA — Rays outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. was named American League Player of the Week after reaching base in 14 of 22 plate appearances for a .636 on-base percentage, recording six extra-base hits including home runs in three consecutive games as Tampa Bay locked up its postseason spot.
Mesa, who turned 25 on Tuesday, powered a Rays squad that went 5-1 against division leaders Atlanta and Houston, outscoring opponents 35-13. The week culminated with Tampa Bay clinching its first playoff berth since 2023 on a walk-off homer from Junior Caminero. It is Mesa’s first Player of the Week honor.
The rookie has been surging for months. Since July 7, Mesa is batting .317 with a 1.014 OPS — second-best in baseball during that span behind Tyrone Taylor among hitters with a minimum of 100 plate appearances — while clubbing 10 homers and stealing seven bases across 40 games. He carries the sixth-best bWAR (2.8) and fWAR (2.5) on the AL’s best team despite appearing in only 68 games this season.
San Diego’s Jackson Merrill, 23, earned NL Player of the Week — his second career honor after winning one during his 2024 rookie season. The Padres went 6-0, building a 2 1/2-game lead over the Diamondbacks for the third NL Wild Card spot. Merrill went 3-for-4 in the series opener against Washington, recorded a sacrifice fly the following night and went 4-for-5 with two homers in the finale, becoming the first Padre with nine RBIs in a three-game span since Juan Soto on Sept. 16-18, 2023. He followed that in San Francisco with a three-hit night, a homer and a two-run double off Logan Webb.
Milwaukee’s Luis Lara, 21, claimed Play of the Week for a leaping catch over the right-field wall that robbed Eugenio Suárez of a home run during the Brewers’ playoff-clinching 20-0 rout of the Reds. The 5-foot-7 outfielder had already made a sliding play earlier in the game before the highlight-reel robbery stunned starter Dustin May and center fielder Garrett Mitchell.
“It was just incredible,” Mitchell said. “But at this point, it’s like you’re surprised, but then you’re not surprised at the same time. It’s like, there he goes again. Air Lara.”
The Rays, now locked into the postseason, enter the final week of the regular season as the AL’s top team, with playoff matchups expected to be set by the weekend.