Mesa is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.
The left-handed hitter will hit the bench for the second time in the series, as the Nationals send southpaw Andrew Alvarez to the hill Sunday. Mesa could struggle to find consistent playing time versus righties as well, after the Rays brought Jonny DeLuca back from the injured list Friday. Despite logging just nine of his 55 plate appearances against same-handed pitching since his May 24 call-up from Triple-A Durham, Mesa is slashing a meager .174/.296/.304 with two home runs, sevens runs and five RBI.