Victor Mesa Jr. out for remainder of 2024 season

[Kevin Barral]

An injury will sideline Mesa throughout August and September, pushing back his potential Marlins debut until next year.

After the Miami Marlins traded away Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Bryan De La Cruz, outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. looked like he had a clear opening to make his major league debut this season. However, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp transferred Mesa to the 60-day injured list on Wednesday due to a back injury, ending his season.

Fish On First's top-ranked Marlins position player prospect entering July, Mesa missed a few games in the middle of the month, returning to action on July 20. He aggravated the injury at the start of Jacksonville's July 28 game against the Norfolk Tide, reaching for his lower back after fouling off a pitch in the first inning. Mesa crouched down in pain and exited the game a few moments later.

Signed by the Marlins in October 2018, Mesa has steadily climbed up the minor league ladder and was selected to Miami's 40-man roster last offseason. The 22-year-old spent spring training with the big league team, though he suffered a minor ankle injury in March. He was the youngest player on the AAA roster when he made his Jumbo Shrimp debut on April 9.

Mesa was very consistent at the plate early on. He reached base safely in 29 of his first 30 games with Jacksonville, slashing .281/.348/.488/.836 with six home runs, 26 RBIs and a 113 wRC+ during that stretch. He also showed the versatility to play all three outfield positions, getting the highest percentage of his starts in center field.

Mesa slowed down after that, though, including only five hits in his final 45 at-bats. He will end his 2024 season after 80 AAA games, slashing .259/.319/.430/.749 with 13 home runs, 51 RBIs and a 90 wRC+.

For the second straight year, the left-handed-hitting Mesa found success against left-handed pitching. He slashed .298/.390/.500/.890 with four home runs and 16 RBIs. He had a 14.0% walk rate in those matchups, compared to only 5.9% against right-handers, contributing to massive reverse platoon splits.

Jesús Sánchez will likely be the Marlins right fielder in 2025, but the rest of the outfield picture is undecided. If Mesa fully recovers entering spring training and shows improvement against righties, he'll have a chance to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster and play almost every day.

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