Tampa Bay Rays prospect Curtis Mead shutdown for season

The injury bug continues to wreak havoc throughout the entire Tampa Bay Rays organization as another player has already lost and will continue to lose significant playing time due to a physical ailment.

This time, it’s the Rays top position player prospect, Curtis Mead, that will see his 2022 campaign come to a premature ending. The Australian infielder has been dealing with a sore elbow for the majority of the second half of the season, and although he has attempted to return to game action at a slower pace, the team and Mead have come to the conclusion to just shut him down for the final month of the minor league season.

Although he may be defensively challenged, Mead is considered one of the top offensive talents in all of the minor leagues with Baseball America tabbing him with 60/60 hit and power tools.

In their latest update to their top 100 (9/6/22), Baseball America ranked Mead as the 24th best prospect in all of baseball.

The Australia native continues to hit, hit and hit some more as he climbs up the minors. He’s already reached Triple-A at 21 years old and continues to show the mix of power and contact skills to be an offensive force.

What makes a prospect transition from unsung to highly heralded is their ability to put their tools to work on the field and Mead has done that.

Since playing his first game with the Rays organization in 2021 (COVID 19 caused the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season), Mead has hit .312/.383/.532 with 28 HR over 180 games played. His performance in Double-A this season resulted in his selection to the Futures Game and a promotion to Triple-A Durham. Had it not been for his injury, it’s like Mead would have joined Rays active roster at some point this season.