Nationals Option Chaparro to Triple-A, Add Curtis Mead to Roster

Andrés Chaparro arrived at Triple-A Rochester with two early-season starts on his resume and a proven track record at this level, but before he forces his way back to Washington, he'll need to outproduce a Red Wings infield that didn't have room for him 48 hours ago.

Washington optioned Chaparro following Sunday's 6-3 win over the Cubs, opening a 26-man active roster spot for Curtis Mead, acquired from Chicago on Saturday in exchange for minor-league catcher Boston Smith. Left-hander Jake Eder was separately designated for assignment to clear the 40-man space Mead required.

At Rochester, Chaparro steps into genuine competition. The Red Wings opened the 2026 season with Abimelec Ortiz starting at first base in Jacksonville, where Ortiz reached base five times on Opening Day, while top prospect Yohandy Morales handles third base and can rotate to first. Chaparro, who posted a .286/.419/.657 slash line with four home runs and 10 RBI across just 10 games in a 2024 Rochester cameo and earned the International League's Player of the Week honor during that stretch, is the most seasoned hitter in that corner infield mix. He should absorb the bulk of the everyday first-base at-bats, with DH time rounding out his workload as Rochester manages its surplus of options on that side of the diamond.

The major-league case for Chaparro wasn't weak. He started two of Washington's first three games and went 2-for-6 with a double, a walk, and a run scored. The issue wasn't output; it was positional range. Curtis Mead, 25, plays both first and second base, giving Washington a lineup piece that covers two spots instead of one. Mead split last season between Tampa Bay and Chicago, hitting .233 with three home runs and 19 RBI across 90 games. Those numbers are functional, not impressive. But his spring built a different case: representing Team Australia in the World Baseball Classic, Mead hit .357 with a home run in four games, producing enough on tape that Washington pursued the claim even after Chicago let him go when he didn't make their opening day roster.

The return path for Chaparro is straightforward. Washington's designated hitter slot was structured as a revolving door on their opening day roster, and nothing about Mead's profile suggests it locks shut. If Mead's .233 career tendency reasserts itself in Philadelphia, where he is set to join the club for their next series, and Chaparro posts numbers resembling his last Rochester audition, the Nationals won't need to look far. The performance clock starts now for both of them.