Mead is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
After bouncing between the corner infield spots over nine straight games and going 9-for-31 (.290) with one stolen base, five RBI and two runs, Mead will get a second straight contest off. The White Sox will go with Lenyn Sosa at first base and Miguel Vargas at the hot corner as they look to avoid a series sweep.
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White Sox's Curtis Mead: Out of lineup Saturday
Rotowire
Mead isn't starting against the Royals on Saturday.
Mead has been a regular at third base since getting called up from Triple-A on Aug. 3, and he's held his own with a .281/.361/.281 slash line -- albeit with no extra-base hits -- along with five RBI and a stolen base over 10 games as a member of the White Sox. He's getting a breather Saturday, though, as Miguel Vargas is starting at the hot corner and Lenyn Sosa is sliding over to first base.
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White Sox's Curtis Mead: Earning regular playing time
Rotowire
Mead went 2-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored Tuesday against the Tigers.
Mead has started seven straight games since being recalled by the White Sox, playing primarily at first base. The playing time there is likely to disappear due to the return of Miguel Vargas, but Mead shifted to third base on Tuesday. The White Sox will look to continue to find ways to get Mead into the lineup, as he has at least one hit in four of those seven contests and has gone 7-for-27 with five RBI and a stolen base.
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White Sox's Curtis Mead: Knocks in two
Rotowire
Mead went 1-for-4 with two RBI on Friday against the Guardians.
Mead joined the big-league roster Sunday but didn't enter the starting lineup until Wednesday. Friday marked his third consecutive start, and he's collected at least one hit in each of those contests. Mead delivered a two-RBI single in the sixth inning of Friday's game.
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White Sox's Curtis Mead: Up with White Sox
Rotowire
The White Sox recalled Mead from Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday.
The 24-year-old was acquired by Chicago from Tampa Bay in the Adrian Houser trade Thursday and won't have to wait long to make his White Sox debut after Miguel Vargas (oblique) landed on the injured list. Mead should help fill in for Vargas at first base but could also see action at second and third base.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Returns to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Rays optioned Mead to Triple-A Durham on Friday.
The 24-year-old was called up July 11 when Brandon Lowe (oblique) was placed on the IL and will now return to Triple-A with Lowe being activated Friday. Mead has played 49 big-league games this season and has a .226/.318/.339 slash line in 132 plate appearances.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Rare start against righty
Rotowire
Mead went 2-for-2 with three walks, three runs and an RBI in Friday's 14-8 win over the Tigers.
Mead made just his seventh start against a right-handed pitcher for the season, filling in at third base Friday for Junior Caminero. He took advantage of the opportunity by reaching base in every plate appearance while scoring multiple runs in a game for the second time on the campaign. Mead is hitting a solid .250/.336/.385 across 110 plate appearances this season, but his playing time is too sporadic to make him useful outside of AL-only leagues.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Homers in three straight games
Rotowire
Mead hit a two-run home run in his only plate appearance Sunday against the Blue Jays.
Mead has seen increased playing time across the last week, though that was only because the Rays faced three lefties. He's started just four games against right-handed pitching all season, limiting his fantasy appeal despite the fact that he has a home run in each of his last three games -- two of which were starts.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Goes yard again Friday
Rotowire
Mead went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-1 win over the Blue Jays.
Getting the start at first base and batting eighth, the 24-year-old drove a cutter from lefty Eric Lauer down the left-field line in the fourth inning. Mead only has two homers on the season, but they've come in the last two games, and he has a six-game hitting streak going sandwiched around an eight-game stretch in which he didn't get off the bench, as the Rays faced nothing but right-handed starters. Despite being limited primarily to a short-side platoon role, Mead is finding his rhythm at the plate, and since the beginning of May he's slashing .286/.342/.486 in 38 plate appearances.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Cranks first homer in win
Rotowire
Mead went 2-for-3 with a solo homer and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Astros.
Making a rare start against a right-hander, Mead responded with his first home run of the year, a solo shot off Hunter Brown that put the Rays ahead 3-2 in the fourth inning. While Mead's playing time has been limited, he's now recorded at least one hit in five straight games -- he's gone 6-for-15 (.400) in that span. Overall, the 24-year-old Mead is slashing .206/.286/.279 with four RBI, three runs scored and two stolen bases through 77 plate appearances this season.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Getting first start since May 9
Rotowire
Mead will start at first base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Astros.
Mead will crack the starting nine for the first time since May 9, after he had been on the bench for each of the past eight contests while the Rays opposed right-handed starters. The 24-year-old is batting just .169 on the season and looks like he'll remain in a short-side platoon role for the foreseeable future.
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Rays' Curtis Mead: Batting leadoff in opener
Rotowire
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: 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: 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: 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.