The Marlins are calling up outfielder Victor Mesa Jr., according to reporter Francys Romero. Mesa is already on the 40-man roster, and he’ll take the 26-man roster spot of outfielder Derek Hill, as MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola reports that Hill is being placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left wrist sprain.
This is the second time Hill has hit the IL with a wrist-related injury this season, as another sprain in that same left wrist cost him about four weeks of action from mid-April to mid-May. While these injuries have certainly had some impact on Hill’s production, his .233/.300/.370 slash line over 82 plate appearances is pretty close to his career numbers over 558 PA across parts of the last six Major League seasons.
Known more for his speed and ability to play all three outfield positions, Hill has primarily played center field in Miami since the Marlins claimed him off waivers from the Giants last August. With Hill and Dane Myers now both on the IL, the Fish are thin on center fielders, so Mesa could be in line for a good chunk of playing time as he nears his MLB debut.
The 23-year-old Mesa was a highly-regarded international signing back in 2018, as he landed a $1MM bonus while older brother Victor Victor Mesa received an even heftier $5.25MM bonus. While the elder Mesa brother was considered an elite prospect at the time, Victor Victor hasn’t played in organized baseball since 2023, and the younger (and somewhat less-regarded) Victor Jr. has slowly climbed up the ladder of the Marlins’ farm system.
MLB Pipeline ranks Mesa Jr. 26th on their list of Miami’s top 30 prospects, and Baseball America has him in the final spot in its top-30 Marlins ranking. Mesa is considered to be a solid defensive outfielder capable of playing all three positions, including right field thanks to his above-average throwing arm. Mesa has a career .261/.323/.443 slash line in 379 PA at the Triple-A level, with 14 home runs and 80 strikeouts. Prone to chasing pitches, Mesa has considerably reduced his strikeout rate this season, though he has appeared in just 16 total minor league games in 2025 due to an injury of his own.
what’s your vector, Victor?
Roger was over Unger and Unger was under Dunn.
Victor Victor Victor Victor
You don’t have to be Mensa to be Marlin
This Marlins pipeline is laughably pathetic. Peter Bendix is outmatched by other Ivy League execs.
Bendix took over in November of 2023. Can’t believe he hasn’t been able to revamp an entire farm system by now.
hardy har har
Another Derek Hill. Hasn’t there been a few Derek Hills in MLB history?
He’s 01 on Baseball Reference so I’m going to say no.
Derek Hill was suppose be the top defensive outfielder coming out of high school since Tori Hunter. If he could only hit.
Here for the Airplane jokes….
I really wanted Derek Hill to succeed. He can’t stay healthy ever!
Should have recalled Jakob Marsee from Jax. Guy can fly. Leads AAA in SB (29-32) and has stolen over 100 bases the last two years in the minors. Bat isn’t a limp noodle. Had 21 HR in ’23 and 11 last year with an average OBP in the .370s. Walks a lot and rarely strikes out.
Marsee was the big get from the Padres in the Arraez trade. Should be our leadoff hitter right now. Aside from SP, which the Fish are good at developing, the rest of the rebuild has been woeful
Not making the playoffs this year, so bring up guys like Marsee and let them get their feet wet in a throw-away year.
@ backup
Marsee is interesting. He can’t hit over .205 in AAA but has OBP .371. He’s not on the 40 man and probably has a development plan he would need to show some progress on.
Maybe it’s time to see what Mesa Jr can do, he is hot right now.
Why do you assume the Marlins are still good at developing Starting Pitching? The entire coaching and training staff have been replaced. Major League pitchiing is 28th in ERA. Minor League prospects have been a little inconsistent. We need to wait and see.
When it comes to offense the Marlins have climbed from 26th last year in Runs scored and OPS to 21st in Runs scored and 16th in OPS. Slow progress, but progress, especially when you consider the numbers for August and September were better than before the trade deadline when regulars were traded.
That’s ex-Detroit Tigers first round pick Derek Hill, thank you much. Better known as “all speed, bit of glove, no bat”. Though Derek Hill had as many IL trips as stolen bases (or extra base hits) during his Tigers minor league career.