Despite their 12-3 loss to the Tigers, the Rays and their prospect Xavier Isaac had a heartfelt moment on Saturday.
In his first game back from having brain surgery last year, Isaac, 22, singled to right field in the eighth inning, a moment which was celebrated by his Rays teammates.
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“It was awesome. The dugout was pumped up. Everybody shook his hand, high-fived him,” Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters, according to MLB.com. “No, [his results] don’t matter.
Xavier Isaac accepts congratulations from his first base coach after singling to right field in the eighth inning of the Rays’ 12-3 spring training loss to the Tigers on Feb. 26, 2026. Tampa Bay Rays/X
“But any time you get some positive reinforcement or a reward for the work that he’s been putting in on the back field — hopefully he values that as a pretty special moment. I know we all did.”
Isaac, who was selected by Tampa Bay with the No. 29-overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, underwent “life-saving” surgery back in July 2025 to remove a brain tumor, which sidelined the first baseman for more than eight months.
“Just being back on the field, just being at first, honestly, was the best. I haven’t been on defense in two years, so that was a good moment,” Isaac said. “And I got the hit. A lot of relief.”
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Isaac last played for Double-A Montgomery before his surgery, which he previously said was “the scariest moment” of his life.
Xavier Isaac celebrates after hitting a two-run homer in the top of the Rays’ spring training loss to the Twins on March 16, 2024 in Fort Myers, Fla. Getty Images
“As soon as I found out that, I was definitely not worried about baseball,” Isaac told reporters earlier this month.
Isaac is now spending spring training with the Rays as a non-roster invitee as he prepares for his fifth professional season.
After impressing across both Low-and High-A during the 2023-24 seasons, Isaac’s stats dipped last season, which he admitted was likely linked to his brain tumor.
“Mentally, I feel like I wasn’t there last year, wasn’t the same there, and it was something wrong — and I did not know what was going on,” Isaac said. “It was probably that, and that’s a big reason why.”
Isaac was the Rays’ ninth-ranked prospect in 2025, according to MLB.com
