The Rays are signing utility infielder Jorge Mateo to a big league contract, reports Francys Romero. A client of The Movement Baseball, Mateo was released by the Braves last week. Tampa Bay will need to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Mateo provides right-handed hitting infield depth for a team that placed Ben Williamson on the injured list last week. Manager Kevin Cash said that Williamson’s right hamstring strain is fairly serious and could threaten his availability for the rest of the regular season (link via Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times). Carson Williams, recalled from Triple-A when Williamson went down, will probably be optioned once the Mateo signing is official.
There’s no financial cost, as Tampa Bay will pay Mateo the prorated $780K league minimum for whatever time he spends on the roster. Atlanta is on the hook for the rest of his $1MM salary. The Braves signed Mateo over the winter when Ha-Seong Kim injured his finger in a fall. Mateo held a backup infield role and briefly assumed the starting shortstop job. He got out to a hot start but faded in June and was released when Atlanta welcomed Kim back from his second injured list stint on deadline day. Rookie Jim Jarvis has taken over as their everyday shortstop with Kim in a utility role.
Mateo finished his Atlanta tenure with a .240/.285/.380 slash line in 137 plate appearances. He hit four homers and went 10-11 in stolen base tries. The Braves used him almost exclusively at shortstop, where he played slightly above-average defense in 304 innings. Mateo has second base experience as well and has gotten sporadic looks in center field in his career. While he doesn’t have a ton of outfield experience, he’s among the fastest players in MLB.
Tampa Bay already has a matchup-heavy approach to the outfield and has gotten decent work from righty bats Ryan Vilade and Jonny DeLuca. Mateo can back up Taylor Walls at shortstop and takes some second base starts from Richie Palacios against left-handed pitching. He’ll also provide a pinch-running asset and fits the Rays’ identity in that regard. Mateo strikes out more often than most Tampa Bay hitters but is another elite baserunner who had a pair of 30-steal seasons with the Orioles in 2022-23. Mateo was a regular for a couple years in Baltimore under then-manager Brandon Hyde, now a senior advisor to the Rays’ front office.
Image courtesy of Joe Puetz, Imagn Images.