Justin

Williams

Williams was let go by the Cardinals after a disappointing 2021 in which he had a .768 OPS in 110 plate appearances in Triple-A and a .531 OPS in 137 plate appearances in the majors, but he has some real pop and he picked the right team to sign with as a free agent. He probably won’t have a spot coming out of spring training, but if he hits in Triple-A, the Phillies should be able to find some room for him on their bench.

Williams showed some brief flashes with the Cardinals last season but ultimately finished with just a .531 OPS over 137 plate appearances. He’ll attempt to win a bench job in Philadelphia.

Williams had been outrighted off the Cardinals’ 40-man roster and has decided to look for a gig elsewhere. The 26-year-old was just 19-for-119 this season (.160) with four home runs at the major league level.

Williams will remain with Triple-A Memphis, where he spent time during a minor-league rehab assignment, for some additional seasoning before getting an opportunity to re-join the Cardinals at some point this summer. The 25-year-old was placed on the injured list with neck stiffness earlier this month.

Williams didn’t make an appearance in Friday’s contest, but he should be in the lineup at some point soon at Triple-A Memphis. The 25-year-old outfielder has been progressing back from neck stiffness earlier this month.

Williams has been dealing with neck stiffness over the last few days, so he’ll get some time off to rest and recover. It doesn’t sound like he’s expected to require more than a minimum stay on the injured list.

O’Neill might have injured his hand on a head-first slide while stealing second base in the sixth inning. Justin Williams replaced him in left field in the seventh. The Cardinals should pass along an update after the game, but obviously it would hurt to miss him for any length of time.

Edman has been in right field the previous two games, but he’ll slide back to second base with lefty Patrick Corbin on the hill for Washington. Matt Carpenter is on the bench while Austin Dean will play left field and Justin Williams will play right.

Williams opened the year 1-for-17 and has done some sitting as a result, but he’s 8-for-22 with two homers in his last eight games. He’ll get consistent starts as long as he produces, and while that probably won’t result in fantasy value in shallow mixed leagues, he can help NL-only leaguers.

Williams, who got the nod over Lane Thomas and Austin Dean to serve as the Cardinals’ right fielder to open the year, is batting .207/.303/.310 in 29 at-bats. He’s lost some playing time to Matt Carpenter recently, with Tommy Edman moving from second base to right field, but the Cardinals will be better off defensively with Williams in right field if he proves capable offensively.