Alika

Williams

It’s the fourth consecutive game that Wilson has missed due to a left shoulder injury, though he is improving and is once again expected to be available off the bench on Sunday. Ailka Williams will once again start in his place at shortstop and will bat ninth against Angels’ left-hander Sam Aldegheri.

Wilson left Wednesday’s game against San Francisco while dealing with an issue in his left shoulder, and the 24-year-old will be out of action for at least one game while recovering. Recently-promoted Alika Williams will handle shortstop duties while Wilson recovers.

Williams was just optioned back to Triple-A by the A’s on Sunday, but the injury to Zack Gelof (hand) makes it possible for him to rejoin the roster earlier than the normal requirement of 15 games. He’ll likely operate as a backup to Jacob Wilson and Max Muncy now that he’s back with the big-league club.

There simply isn’t room for Williams in a reserve role with Jacob Wilson back as the club’s everyday shortstop and Max Muncy also in a bench role behind a red-hot Zack Gelof. The light-hitting utility infielder proved to be a viable stopgap solution while all three were on the shelf with injuries.

Williams did have a hard-hit ball tonight, with one of his doubles leaving his bat at 95.1 mph. Combined, the three hits had an xBA of .730. But, hey, as every former player in a broadcast booth says at least twice per game, if you put the ball into play, sometimes good things will happen. Williams, who was acquired from the Pirates last month, is hitting .288/.316/.472 in 39 plate appearances for the A’s. He’ll probably be mostly limited to facing lefties with Jacob Wilson is back.

Hernaiz returns to the minors with Max Muncy back from the injured list ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Brewers. The 24-year-old infielder has hit an underwhelming .237/.318/.288 with one homer and three steals in 47 games this season. It’ll presumably be Alika Williams handling the bulk of the shortstop duties until Jacob Wilson (shoulder) is ready to return later this month.

Williams heads to West Sacramento as a stopgap option for the Athletics after losing Jacob Wilson to a shoulder injury earlier this week. He’ll most likely function in a bench role behind Darell Hernaiz. The 27-year-old defensive specialist hit .202/.257/.271 with zero homers and one steal in 208 plate appearances over 83 games for the Pirates from 2023-2024. He’s a solid depth addition for the Athletics, but Williams can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

On the pitching side, Devenski had a shot at making the team’s Opening Day bullpen, but struggled to a 6.75 ERA and 1.69 WHIP over 5 1/3 innings during Grapefruit League play. Williams had a solid spring offensively, hitting .258 (8-for-31) with a homer and seven RBI, but that wasn’t enough to secure a spot on the Pirates’ Opening Day bench.

The 27-year-old infielder entered the game as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning. He then singled in the seventh but was cut down attempting to steal second base. Williams atoned for that in the eight, smacking a go-ahead two-run single that proved to be the difference in the ballgame. He’s having himself a solid spring at the dish, hitting .333 (7-for-21) with a homer and five RBI.

No surprises here as Pittsburgh pares down its spring roster to just 42 players. The decision to jettison Delay leaves some combination of Joey Bart, Henry Davis and Endy Rodríguez as the likely season-opening catching mix behind the plate.