Ben

Williamson

Williamson put Tampa Bay ahead for good with a 103.4 mph double into the left-center field gap with two outs in the fourth inning. The 25-year-old has put together a strong Rays debut, hitting .263/.344/.328 with 18 RBI and five steals through 48 games. He doesn’t offer enough upside to matter in most fantasy leagues, but he’s been a nice addition as a role player in Tampa Bay.

Taylor Walls left yesterday‘s game with hamstring tightness, so the Rays will give him a day off and let Williamson start at shortstop. Walls is allegedly available off the bench tonight, so this might be just a one game situation with Williamson as the starting shortstop.

No surprise here after Walls made an early exit from Monday’s series opener with left hamstring tightness. The 29-year-old shortstop has been battling hamstring issues for over a week at this juncture. Ben Williamson takes over at shortstop in his absence.

Williamson managed to avoid serious injury after being hit by a pitch on the left forearm during Friday’s series opener in his return from the injured list. The 25-year-old infielder is hitting .272/.357/.342 with zero homers, 14 RBI and four steals through 40 games in his Tampa Bay debut.

The positive news is that X-rays came back negative for any fractures after Williamson was hit by a pitch on the left forearm during his return from the injured list. The 25-year-old could wind up needing some time off this weekend, but it sounds like he avoided serious injury.

Williamson’s return will put him back on a short-side of a platoon at second base with Richie Palacios for the moment. It’s possible he could draw some starts at shortstop in the short-term as Taylor Walls deals with a short-term injury.

Williamson had been out since Friday, and the Rays made a late-night trade for another utility infielder, so the writing seemed to be on the wall. Williamson has been a valuable contributor on the Rays this season, posting a solid batting average while providing defensive value all over the infield. He will likely be out for a few weeks.

Williamson hasn’t played since last Friday due to ongoing back tightness. It’s unclear whether he’ll require a trip to the injured list, but the Rays are going to carry him on the bench for now in the hopes that the issue clears up without an extended layoff. It’ll be Richie Palacios at second base on Tuesday night in his place.

Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters they’re not sure whether Williamson will require a trip to the injured list. It sounds like a possibility, which is why former top prospect Carson Williams was brought up from Triple-A Durham over the weekend. There should be a decision on Williamson’s status at some point this week if his back doesn’t respond to treatment.

Fraley was scratched from Saturday’s lineup with an undisclosed injury. Jacob Melton is hurt in Triple-A, so Carson Williams might be the choice to replace Fraley on the Tampa Bay roster. Richie Palacios, who has been mostly starting at second base, could move to right field to replace Fraley, opening up infield starts for Williams and Ben Williamson.