The Cuban player Yandy Díaz continues to rewrite the history of the Tampa Bay Rays. With his 16th home run of the 2026 season, the player from Villa Clara reached 115 home runs accumulated with the franchise on Monday, surpassing Ben Zobrist to take sole possession of sixth place in the team's all-time home run record.
According to journalist Francys Romero, the hit came in the game against the Athletics: "El Caki" opened the game by punishing a fastball at 91.3 mph and sent the ball 439 feet to center field, with an exit velocity of 109.9 mph.
Before that swing, Díaz and Zobrist were tied for sixth place with 114 home runs each. The home run broke the tie and left the Cuban looking up with a clear goal: B.J. Upton, who is in fifth place with 118 home runs.
The difference is just three home runs, and with the season still ahead, the possibility that Díaz will finish 2026 among the top five home run hitters in Rays history is very much real.
The historical table of the franchise is as follows:
- Evan Longoria — 261
- Carlos Peña — 163
- Brandon Lowe — 157
- Aubrey Huff — 128
- B.J. Upton — 118
- Yandy Díaz — 115
The milestone adds to a 2026 season filled with records for the player from Sagua la Grande. At the end of July, Díaz made history with his 1,000th hit with the franchise, becoming the fourth player to achieve that mark and the first Cuban to do so.
Just a little earlier, in May, he recorded his 1,000th career hit in Major League Baseball, another milestone in a career that continues to rise.
This year's streak is supported by the best home run season of his career, recorded in 2025 with around 23 home runs, and by the moment when Díaz reached 100 career home runs in MLB in September of that year.
The Tampa Bay organization has bet on him: in January 2023, he signed a three-year extension worth $24 million, and in March 2025, the Rays exercised the $12 million option for this season, with an additional conditional clause for 2027.
With three home runs separating him from Upton and several months of competition ahead, "El Caki" has the opportunity to finish 2026 among the top five home run hitters in the entire history of the Tampa Bay Rays.
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