Curtis

Mead

Tampa Bay will roll with veteran Yandy Díaz in the leadoff spot with Jonathan Aranda at first base and occupying the cleanup spot. Mead went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts during Friday’s season opener. He’ll continue to split playing time between several infield spots for Tampa Bay after a sizzling-hot spring performance propelled him onto the club’s season-opening roster.

With left-hander Kyle Freeland on the bump for Colorado, Mead will get the leadoff nod, and Yandy Diaz will hit second as the designated hitter. Mead was outstanding this spring, and it’s worth noting he’s a former top prospect who has looked the part in the minors. He’ll get a chance to set the table for the Rays, and that could be a major boon for his fantasy prospectus. Jonathan Aranda is not in the lineup, which will likely be the norm against southpaws.

If anyone has ever earned a spot on a roster based on spring training results, it’s Mead. He’s ‘slowed down’ lately, but is still hitting a ridiculous .576/.641/.697 over his first dozen games in the Grapefruit League. It’s worth noting Mead is only 24, and he’s not long removed from being one of the top infield prospects in the sport. A breakout season is definitely possible.

We wouldn’t have any concerns here, except for the fact that Curtis Mead is having a spring for the ages and might be ready to step in as a solid regular at third base. Still, it’d be quite a surprise if the Rays bypassed Caminero. He’s in a slump at the moment, but he’s hardly been overmatched; with three homers in 33 at-bats, he’s slugging .485, and his strikeout rate is just 20 percent.

It’s all working for Mead right now. His last at-bat today saw him take three straight out of the strike zone and then swing at ball four, only to line the pitch into center field anyway. Mead should be in line to make the Rays as a part-timer. A starting gig would require an injury or a course reversal in regard to Jonathan Aranda’s playing time.

He had more hits today than his teammates totaled in 32 at-bats (three). All four hits were singles, and three were hard-hit balls, topping out at 110.9 mph. For the spring, Mead is 14-for-18 with a homer. He wasn’t supposed to be much of a threat to make the Rays, but he needs to be taken seriously now, even if it’s hard to see how he fits in the lineup. His inclusion would probably come at Eloy Jiménez’s expense, making him the righty DH alternative to Jonathan Aranda. He could also see time at second base against lefties.

Mead is 8-for-9 to start the spring. He wasn’t expected to be in the Rays’ plans for the beginning of the season, but things could change. Unfortunately, he has zero career outfield experience, so he’s probably not an option there right now. It’s unlikely that he’ll be able to overtake Junior Caminero at third base, and while the Rays could always revisit the idea of trading Brandon Lowe, it’s not like they’d have much use for the budget room at this point. Maybe they’ll try to figure something out if Mead keeps this up for another couple of weeks.

He’s a perfect 4-for-4 through two games. Mead flopped in 38 major league games last season, but he’s still just 24 and has thus far hit .292/.371/.499 in 176 career Triple-A games. He’s been overtaken by Junior Caminero at third and has yet to make inroads anywhere else in Tampa Bay, but he should eventually prove to be a quality major league hitter.

Mead is booted from the active roster to make room for Junior Caminero with Caminero getting call Tuesday to join the Rays. Mead has performed admirably as of late, and there’s a good chance he’s back at some point this summer. There’s still some long-term upside in his bat even without elite power or speed.

This is now the third straight start for Mead and his fifth start in the last six games. Perhaps more importantly, all of them have come against right-handed pitching after he was limited to a weak-side platoon role after being recalled. The 23-year-old has been solid since the All-Star break, hitting .281 with thee runs scored, two RBI, and just five strikeouts in 11 games. The Rays likely want to see what, if any, role he can play for the team in 2025, but his lack of power and speed so far would seem to suggest he’s a better real-life player than fantasy player.