Curtis Mead exits Red Sox debut after hit-by-pitch

The positive news here is that Mead appears to have avoided serious injury during his Red Sox debut after initial X-rays came back negative for any fractures. He was struck by a pitch from Athletics starter Jack Perkins during his second at-bat of the contest. The 25-year-old infielder, who was acquired from the Nationals in a trade over the weekend, is presumably day-to-day moving forward. It’s a significant relief for Boston and fantasy managers as well.

Mead has a phenomenal opportunity to make some noise in Sutter Health Field’s high-octane offensive environment in West Sacramento after coming over from the Nationals in a challenge trade for lefty Connelly Early over the weekend. The 25-year-old former top prospect has gone through a bizarre odyssey in the early portion of his career, but he appears to have finally arrived as an impactful everyday option this season, launching 17 homers in 327 plate appearances for Washington. He’s started pulling the ball in the air with much greater frequency this season, which will absolutely work in Fenway Park. He’s at second base in his Boston debut, but is likely to also see time at the hot corner over the final two months.

The Red Sox could have easily acquired Mead a few months ago, but they’re obviously much bigger believers now after he hit .254/.352/.500 with 17 homers in 327 plate appearances for the Nationals. And he does look like a perfectly legitimate major league hitter at this point. However, his bat speed and exit velocity numbers are all pretty average, and he just doesn’t offer much defensive value as a well-below-average defensive third baseman and potentially adequate first baseman. The Red Sox will likely make him their primary DH for now, allowing him to maintain some mixed-league value. Still, if they’re ever at full strength, he might not warrant starts against righties. Time will tell, but giving up Early here seems like a misstep. With Mead likely to see significant time at DH, Masataka Yoshida will again become a reserve, though perhaps a Jarren Duran trade could put him in left field for a time.

Unless Early is damaged goods — and he obviously currently is on the IL with elbow inflammation — this seems like a pretty weak return for the Red Sox. Mead has broken out nicely with a .256/.351/.505 line this year, but not with the kind of exit velocity numbers that suggest he’s going to be an above average regular going forward, especially given his lack of defensive value. The Red Sox figure to use him a lot at DH for now and then mix him at third and first if Roman Anthony gets healthy and the outfield gets overcrowded again. Masataka Yoshida will lose at-bats in Boston. The Nationals will recall Brady House to replace Mead, according to Spencer Nusbaum.

Seigler started the bottom of the first with a leadoff homer off Trey Yesavage and just kept going from there. He had been hitting just .172/.246/.276 in 15 games since the Red Sox moved him to the leadoff spot at the end of June, though with the way the team has played, there wasn’t much reason to move him back down. He’s at .273/.336/.455 with three homers in 111 plate appearances overall.

Seigler has settled in as the Red Sox’ everyday second baseman and leadoff hitter over the past couple of weeks, but he’ll get a breather in this one. Romy Gonzalez will start in his place and bat sixth against Rays’ left-hander Shane McClanahan on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park.

It could have been an even bigger night, but Mead lined out while getting to face outfielder Carlos Cortes in the Nationals’ five-run ninth inning. It’s still his first career game with three extra-base hits. He scored four runs for the second time. Mead is 18-for-41 with three homers this month, raising his OPS from .780 to .865.

It’s nothing more than a routine day of rest for the 25-year-old slugger. Mead has been a productive addition to the Nationals’ lineup this season, slashing .245/.340/.490 with 16 homers, 43 RBI and five stolen bases in 294 plate appearances. Jorbit Vivas will start in his place at third base and bat eighth for the Nationals against Yankees’ right-hander Will Warren.

Seigler didn’t wind up missing any time after a home-plate collision during Wednesday’s game against the White Sox resulted in a right arm contusion. The versatile 27-year-old took lefty reliever A.J. Minter deep for his second big fly of the year. He’ll continue leading off for the suddenly sizzling-hot Red Sox until further notice.

Seigler was replaced by Andruw Monasterio at second base following a home-plate collision with Chicago catcher Kyle Teel while scoring on a wild pitch in the third inning. He came away with a laceration on his right arm and looked to be pretty shaken up after a head-first slide. He’ll undergo evaluation to determine whether he suffered any additional injuries on the play. There should be an update on his status after the contest.