Tampa Bays Rays' Curtis Mead Spins Red-Hot Spring into Opening Day Roster Spot

Eloy Jiménez will start the regular season in Triple-A now that infielder Curtis Mead has officially earned a spot on the Tampa Bay Rays' big league roster.

Port Charlotte, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second base Curtis Mead (25) hits a RBI double against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning at Charlotte Sports Park. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Infielder Curtis Mead will be on the Tampa Bay Rays' Opening Day roster, manager Kevin Cash said Friday, per FanDuel Sports Network's Ryan Bass.

Mead made his MLB debut in August 2023, at which point he was ranked as the No. 31 prospect in baseball. He appeared in just 62 big league games over the next two seasons, however, bouncing back and forth between the majors and minors on multiple occasions.

In that limited action, Mead hit .244 with two home runs, 12 RBIs, a .613 OPS and a 0.0 WAR.

Mead proceeded to explode this spring, though, batting .543 with a 1.285 OPS across 13 Grapefruit League contests. The 24-year-old logged time at first, second and third base – plus designated hitter – demonstrating the kind of flexibility that has long been valued in Tampa Bay.

Mead getting cemented on the big league roster came at the cost of Eloy Jiménez, who Cash said will start the year with Triple-A Durham. Jiménez, a Silver Slugger winner with the Chicago White Sox in 2020, inked a minor league contract with the Rays in December.

Big #Rays roster news: Infielder Curtis Mead has made the Opening Day roster, Kevin Cash said. As for Eloy Jimenez, who has been producing as of late, he will start the season with the Durham Bulls.

“(Eloy’s) not going to make our club as it stands right now,” Kevin Cash said.…

— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) March 21, 2025

With premier free agent addition Ha-Seong Kim expected to miss the first month of the regular season recovering from shoulder surgery, there was room for Mead to sneak onto the roster alongside utility men José Caballero and Richie Palacios, as well as infielder Jonathan Aranda. It remains to be seen who will survive the crunch once Kim returns to full strength in mid-May.

Over the course of his minor league career, Mead has hit .298 with an .877 OPS. The Australian infielder has averaged 23 home runs, 50 doubles, five triples, 97 RBIs and 16 stolen bases per 162 games coming up through Tampa Bay's farm system.

Mead could even work his way into the Rays' Opening Day starting lineup, considering left-hander Kyle Freeland is taking the mound for the Colorado Rockies that afternoon. Mead has hit .324 with an .831 OPS against southpaws in his MLB career, compared to his .199 batting average and .484 versus righties.

First pitch between the Rays and Rockies is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET on March 28.

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