Aranda went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Phillies.
The 26-year-old took Zack Wheeler deep in the sixth inning, briefly tying the game at 2-2 and giving Aranda his second homer of the season in 85 plate appearances. Aranda may be moving into a regular role for the Rays -- he's started five of the last six games, four at first base and one at second base, and gone 5-for-18 (.278) over that stretch with three doubles, a homer and a 3:4 BB:K. Tampa Bay has fallen seven games off the pace in the battle for the final wild-card spot in the AL with 16 games left to play, so the team is likely to continue giving a long look to unproven players like Aranda to evaluate their place in the franchise's future plans.