Montes gets the boot from the active roster with Richie Palacios (finger) back off the injured list. The 28-year-old Montes will be up and down throughout the 2025 season and likely his career.

With Jonny DeLuca (shoulder) landing on the IL, the Rays will bring up Montes, who is currently 4-for-34 in Triple-A. Montes can play anywhere on the infield, which likely means Christopher Morel and Jose Caballero will continue to see most of their playing time in the outfield with DeLuca sidelined. Montes has not been playing well at Triple-A, but he’s on the 40-man roster and has two minor league options left, so he’s the logical call-up for the Rays with DeLuca not set to miss too much time.

The Rays don’t want Montes on the major league roster right now, but they also didn’t want another team poaching him. The former Rockies prospect, who finished last season in Japan, had a nice spring, hitting .297/.395/.405 in 43 plate appearances.

What chance Montes had of sneaking on to the Rays roster is probably gone as a result of Curtis Mead’s fantastic start, but he could be a useful infielder against lefties if given the chance. He’s hit .308/.419/.462 in 31 plate appearances this spring.