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: Pops first homer
Rotowire
Mead went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-2 loss against the Blue Jays.
Mead hit his first career home run in the seventh inning with a 337-foot liner off Chris Bassitt. The 22-year-old rookie has struggled to see much playing time during the Rays' playoff push, as he's received only five starts and 21 plate appearances since being recalled Sept. 12. Mead is slashing .281/.359/.421 in 64 big-league plate appearances.
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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: Sent back to minors
Rotowire
Mead was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Mead had posted an .823 OPS during a modest six-game hitting streak, but he hasn't been playing much. The Rays have elected to replace him on the roster with the more versatile Vidal Brujan.
Mead went 1-for-4 with two walks, two RBI, two runs scored and a double in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Angels.
Mead stepped into the lineup with lefty Patrick Sandoval on the mound, while Brandon Lowe was out of the lineup. Of Mead's seven starts since being promoted, four have come against southpaws. Though his playing time has been limited, he has at least one hit in each of his last four starts and has scored five runs in that span. Mead has shown the potential to be a productive big leaguer, but for now, he'll need to wait for more consistent playing time.
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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.
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.
Mead was recalled Friday from Triple-A Durham, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Mead missed all of May and most of June because of a wrist injury, but the 22-year-old top infield prospect had slashed .355/.460/.438 in 113 plate appearances since returning to Durham's active roster. He doesn't offer a ton of immediate counting-stat upside, but Mead is a very polished hitter for his age with the capability to play either third base or second base for the Rays. He could draw starts against lefties in a platoon with Brandon Lowe in his first stint in the majors.
Mead (wrist) was reinstated from Triple-A Durham's 7-day injured list Thursday and went 5-for-9 with two doubles, one triple, two walks, four runs and two RBI in his first two games back with the affiliate.
Mead ended up missing two months with the wrist injury, which he suffered when he was hit by a pitch April 29. The prolonged absence likely means that Mead's big-league debut isn't imminent, though the 22-year-old didn't help his case for a promotion by posting a modest .646 OPS in 22 games prior to being shelved with the injury. The fact that Mead has turned in a pair of strong hitting performances since being activated is at least a promising early sign that his power hasn't been compromised by the recent wrist injury.
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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: Slow start at Triple-A
Rotowire
Mead is hitting .200 with zero home runs and a 14:7 K:BB in 50 at-bats for Triple-A Durham.
Mead hit .278/.376/.486 in 20 games at this level to close last season, so he shouldn't be overmatched. His .270 BABIP, 22.2 percent hard-hit rate and 35.3 percent infield-flyball rate suggest Mead's quality of contact has been subpar in a small sample.
