The Nationals have added yet another infield option, acquiring utility man Curtis Mead from the White Sox for minor-league catcher Boston Smith.
To make room for Mead on the 40-man roster, LHP Jake Eder was designated for assignment. The team also later announced that they have optioned 1B Andres Chaparro to Triple-A Rochester to open a 26-man roster spot, and Mead will join the team for their next series in Philadelphia.
Mead, 25, hit .233 with three home runs and 19 RBI in 90 games between Tampa Bay and Chicago last season, while spending time at first base and second base. He also played for Team Australia in this spring's World Baseball Classic, hitting .357 with a home run in four games, but was DFA by the White Sox earlier in the week when he did not make their opening day roster.
Overall in parts of three seasons in the Majors, Mead he has hit .238 with five home runs in 152 games, and also spent some time at third base. And, he has a connection with manager Blake Butera, as Mead played 47 games on the 2021 Low-A Charleston RiverDogs team managed by Butera.
Smith, who has also played third base and left field in his collegiate career, was a sixth-round pick out of Wright State last summer but did not play in the organization. He was a .289/.418/.635 hitter with 52 homers in 185 games over four collegiate seasons, and he slashed .226/.391/.434 in 18 games in the MLB Draft League last year.
Eder was acquired at last years trade deadline from the Angels as part of the Andeew Chafin/Luis Garcia deal, and allowed seven runs over seven innings across Double-A and Triple-A after the trade.
