Jorge Mateo landed a new employer within 48 hours of losing his last one, agreeing to a major league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
Francys Romero first reported the agreement, noting that Mateo, a client of The Movement Baseball, had found his next home just two days after Atlanta cut him loose.
The move drops the well-traveled infielder into the middle of a pennant race, with the Braves tied for the MLB lead at 74 wins, raising the obvious question of what actually went wrong in Georgia and whether Mateo can offer the American League East leaders anything the Braves no longer wanted.
Atlanta designated Mateo for assignment on August 3 and officially released him Sunday, closing out a run that began under unusual circumstances in January.
Why the Atlanta Braves Parted Ways With Jorge Mateo
The Braves signed Mateo to a one-year, $1 million contract that month, a day after learning shortstop Ha-Seong Kim had torn a tendon in his right middle finger during a fall on ice, an injury that required surgery and was expected to sideline him deep into the season.
Kim’s return from the injured list in May pushed Mateo into a reduced role, and a second Kim absence in July gave rookie Jim Jarvis room to leapfrog him on the depth chart. Kim’s activation in early August left Atlanta needing a roster spot, and Mateo, batting .240 with four home runs and 11 RBIs across 65 games, according to Yahoo Sports, became the odd man out.
Atlanta remains responsible for the bulk of his original salary. Any club signing him now owes only the prorated league minimum, with that sum deducted from what the Braves still pay, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Mateo signs in time to qualify for the postseason roster of whichever club employs him, since players added before August 31 remain eligible.
Jorge Mateo’s Fit With the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay entered the week atop the American League East standings, and Mateo gives manager Kevin Cash a right-handed bat who can play shortstop, second base and the outfield without missing a beat. A roster already built around Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz gains a low-cost insurance option rather than an everyday piece.
Tampa Bay Times Rays writer Marc Topkin identified the appeal of Mateo.
“Mateo could be a fit for Rays if they want a more experienced option than Carson Williams as a RH hitting INF who can play 2B vs. LHPs and fill in for Walls at SS,” Topkin wrote.
Born June 23, 1995, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Mateo signed with the New York Yankees as an international free agent back in 2012 for a $250,000 bonus before changing addresses three more times — to Oakland in the trade that sent Sonny Gray to the Bronx, then to San Diego, where he debuted in 2020, and finally to Baltimore on a waiver claim a year later.
He led the American League with 35 stolen bases in 2022 while collecting a Fielding Bible Award for his shortstop defense, part of a career line hovering around .223/.268/.365 with 34 home runs and 116 stolen bases across parts of seven seasons. An elbow injury that required ligament reconstruction in 2024 cut into his final seasons in Baltimore, but it never touched the wheels that made him a rotation-proof bench asset.
For a Tampa Bay roster chasing October, that blend of speed, defensive range and minimal financial commitment is exactly the kind of depth contenders lean on during a stretch drive, even if Mateo never reclaims the everyday role he once held in Baltimore.
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