Mead is starting at first base and batting leadoff in Friday's opener versus the Rockies.
Mead was one of the best hitters in all of baseball during spring training, going a ridiculous 22-for-42 (.524) with one home run and a 6:6 K:BB. The Rays have rewarded him by slotting him at the top of their batting order in their opener against southpaw Kyle Freeland. Much of Mead's playing time is likely to come versus lefties, but he could hit his way into a bigger workload if he gets off to a hot start.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Makes Opening Day roster
Rotowire
Rays manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Mead has made the Opening Day roster, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
Mead has been one of the best performers during Grapefruit League play, going an absurd 19-for-35 with one home run in 13 contests. Once the regular season begins, much of Mead's playing time likely will come versus left-handed pitching, although he could play his way into at-bats against righties, too, if he's able to carry over his performance from this spring. The 24-year-old has just a 78 wRC+ across 224 big-league plate appearances.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Continues hot start to spring
Rotowire
Mead went 4-for-4 with one walk and one run scored in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies.
Mead is swinging a red-hot bat this spring. He's 14-for-18 at the plate, slashing .778/.810/1.000, with one home run, two RBI and four runs scored through seven Grapefruit League contests. Mead's blistering start to the spring could pave the way for him to make the Opening Day roster as a reserve infielder for Tampa Bay. Mead appeared in 38 regular-season games for the Rays last season and posted one home run, seven RBI, 10 runs scored and two stolen bases across 132 plate appearances.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Sent down to minors
Rotowire
The Rays optioned Mead to Triple-A Durham on Tuesday.
Mead had been receiving the bulk of the starts at third base following the trade of Isaac Paredes, but he went 3-for-21 at the plate in August while showing shaky defense at the hot corner. Junior Caminero is taking Mead's spot on the roster and will be the team's new everyday third baseman.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Playing time trending upward
Rotowire
Mead will start at designated hitter and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Astros, Steve Carney of StPeteNine.com reports.
After picking up starts in four of the Rays' last five matchups with right-handed pitching, the righty-hitting Mead will stick in the lineup Monday while the Astros send southpaw Framber Valdez to the hill. Though he appears to be challenging Taylor Walls for a regular spot in the Tampa Bay infield, Mead will likely need to show better production at the plate before he fully displaces Walls. Through his first six games in August, Mead has gone just 2-for-18 with no extra-base hits and one walk.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Three hits in return to majors
Rotowire
Mead went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored Saturday against the Yankees.
Mead was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Saturday to replace Yandy Diaz (personal) on the roster and immediately was in the lineup as the designated against lefty Nestor Cortes. It's unclear how long Diaz will be away from the team, but it's possible that Mead will continue to serve in a short-side platoon role at a combination of second and third base as well as designated hitter.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Optioned to minors
Rotowire
The Rays optioned Mead to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.
Mead has been given plenty of chances by the Rays this season, but his bat never got going, as he slashed just .218/.269/.276 with one home run and a 23:4 K:BB over 94 plate appearances. The 23-year-old will look to get on track at Durham with the hopes of earning another opportunity later this season.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Sitting in second straight game
Rotowire
Mead is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.
Mead will sit against a right-handed starting pitcher for the second time in as many days and seems to have lost hold of a regular role at second base after slashing just .218/.269/.276 through 93 plate appearances on the season. The Rays' infield picture will become more crowded if Jonathan Aranda (finger) is activated from the 10-day injured list during the upcoming week, so Mead could be sent back to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move so he can get regular playing time.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Hits bench Monday
Rotowire
Mead is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Brewers.
Mead had started at second or third base in each of the past 11 games, producing only two extra-base hits while getting on base at a .238 clip over that stretch. Though the 23-year-old remains one of the Rays' top prospects, he could be at risk of losing out on an everyday role once either Jonathan Aranda (finger) or Brandon Lowe (oblique) return from the 10-day injured list. In addition to Aranda and Lowe, Junior Caminero is back to full health at Triple-A Durham and has been sizzling at the plate of late, potentially making him a candidate to join the big club if the Rays want to swap out one infield prospect for another.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Swipes pair of bags
Rotowire
Mead went 1-for-3 with an RBI and two stolen bases Sunday against the Yankees.
Mead has been quiet since taking over the primary second base job with Brandon Lowe (oblique) sidelined, as he's gone just 8-for-40 with no extra-base hits. However, he enjoyed a productive Sunday, tallying an RBI single in the eighth inning while also recording the first stolen bases of his big-league career. Despite his struggles, Mead's playing time appears relatively safe, as he's started 11 of the last 13 games for the Rays.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: First start against righty
Rotowire
Mead went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored Monday against the Rangers.
Mead had been in the lineup once through the Rays' first four games, which came against lefty Yusei Kikuchi. He got a chance at third base Monday against Dane Dunning, filling in for Isaac Paredes at third base, but he is still likely to see his playing time primarily come against southpaws.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Expected to make roster
Rotowire
Mead appears to have won a roster spot with the Rays this spring, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Mead looked to be on the wrong side of a roster crunch entering spring training, but injuries to Jonny DeLuca (hand) and Josh Lowe (oblique) have Amed Rosario projected to see more time in the outfield. With the Rays also optioning Osleivis Basabe on Monday, Mead appears to have a clear path to a roster spot. He doesn't project to start regularly, but he could get some short-side platoon at-bats and will provide insurance at both second and third base.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Roster spot not guaranteed
Rotowire
Mead may lose out on a roster spot to begin the season after the Rays signed Amed Rosario, John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Mead was expected to have a strong chance to make the Opening Day roster as a backup at second and third base. However, Rosario is also a versatile infielder and right-handed batter, and this fits a similar projected role as Mead. Positively, manager Kevin Cash has praised Mead for the progress he's made with the glove, which could open up an opportunity later in the season, if not immediately.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Getting start at second base
Rotowire
Mead is starting at second base and batting fifth in Tuesday's Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series versus the Rangers.
Mead didn't even seem to be a given to be included on the roster, so the fact that he's starting Game 1 and batting fifth has to be a nice boost to the rookie's confidence. He and his teammates will be squaring off against left-hander Jordan Montgomery.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Back in big leagues
Rotowire
Mead was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.
He's taking the roster spot of the injured Jose Siri (hand). Mead will provide some infield protection with Isaac Paredes (hand) banged up, although Paredes' return to the lineup is seemingly imminent.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Breaks through with three hits
Rotowire
Mead went 3-for-5 and scored twice in Monday's 10-2 win against San Francisco.
All three of Mead's hits went for a single, but it was nonetheless a positive performance after he went just 2-for-16 with seven strikeouts over his first six MLB games. The rookie infielder has posted a .302 batting average over 1,048 career minor-league at-bats, so chances are that it's only a matter of time before he starts hitting in the majors. Monday's effort was a step in that direction, though Mead has yet to pick up his first extra-base hit or RBI, and his playing time hasn't been consistent enough to make him a must-roster player in most redraft fantasy formats.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Collects first major-league hit
Rotowire
Mead made his big-league debut in Friday's 8-0 win over the Tigers. He singled in his lone at-bat.
Recalled earlier in the day, Mead entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning -- perhaps not a dream scenario for a debut, but he now has his first hit out of the way and won't have that pressure on him when he makes his first career start. One of the top prospects in the Rays organization, Mead slashed .291/.379/.453 with three homers and three steals in 46 games for Triple-A Durham this season.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Mead (wrist) will begin a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League on Thursday, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.
One of the top hitters in the minors, Mead has not played since April 29 due to a wrist injury after getting hit by a pitch. Given the length of his absence, there may have been a broken bone in his hand/wrist. While Mead could still make his big-league debut this summer, he hadn't gotten off to a great start with Triple-A Durham prior to the injury, slashing .221/.286/.360 with two home runs in 22 games.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Out with wrist injury
Rotowire
Mead is on the 7-day injured list with Triple-A Durham after getting hit on the wrist by a pitch April 29 and he could miss four weeks, according to Bulls play-by-play voice Patrick Kinas.
If he misses four weeks, that would have him returning around Memorial Day weekend. It's been a disappointing start to the season for Mead, as he was hitting .221 with two home runs and a 22:9 K:BB in 22 games prior to suffering the injury.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Optioned to minor-league camp
Rotowire
Mead was optioned Monday to minor-league camp by the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
There was some thought that Mead could make the Rays' Opening Day roster, but instead the top prospect in the system is poised to begin the season at Triple-A Durham. The 22-year-old Australian posted a .918 OPS in his 22 plate appearances in the Grapefruit League this spring and should be one of the first bats called up by Tampa Bay whenever the club is looking for additional offense.
