Carson

Williams

Williams filled in for Ben Williamson while Williamson dealt with a back issue that put him on the injured list. Williamson is back up, so Williams is back to Durham. Williams, who is hitting .100/.156/.133 in 33 plate appearances this year, has not exactly put up much of a fight to keep a roster spot in his limited chances this season.

Walls was a late scratch from the lineup before Tuesday’s game against the Orioles, and he’ll miss one more game, at least. Carson Williams is the starting shortstop with Walls unable to go.

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.

Williams has struggled in his limited action with the Rays this season, hitting just .130 (3-for-23) with zero homers, three RBI and a 9/1 K/BB ratio. He’s unlikely to see enough playing time this time around to warrant consideration in mixed leagues.

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.

Taylor Walls (oblique) is back off the injured list, so the Rays will ship Williams back to Triple-A, where they had optioned him back in March. Williams was 3-for-23 in his seven games with a 9/1 K/BB ratio. There are some legitimate contact concerns here, which Williams will need to work on in the minors.

Williams has scuffled with the bat to begin the year, and the 22-year-old will get a chance to see another game from the bench after also sitting out Wednesday. Ben Williamson will hit seventh and handle shortstop duties with Williams out.

The rookie has struggled to start the season, going 3-for-19 with six strikeouts and one walk. The Rays had also demoted him to Triple-A before Taylor Walls (oblique) got injured, so Williams’ hold on the job may not be overly strong. Ben Williamson will shift to shortstop with Richie Palacios entering the starting lineup at second base and batting ninth.

Williams takes over as Tampa Bay’s starting shortstop with Taylor Walls (oblique) hitting the injured list. The 22-year-old top prospect is an excellent defender and boasts enough power/speed combo potential to be intriguing fantasy-wise. Strikeouts remain the biggest obstacle to sustained relevance for Williams as he struck out a staggering 41.5 percent of the time in 32 games as a rookie last year. He’s unlikely to solve the contact issues that have followed him throughout his rise to the majors, but even a small step forward would make a difference.

It’s possible that this is a re-aggravation of Walls’ initial oblique injury early in Spring Training. Carson Williams is taking Walls’ spot in the lineup today and is a plausible fill-in to start the season if the Rays don’t “consider outside options” per Topkin. Williams hit .172/.219/.354 in his 106 at-bat cup of coffee in the 2025 season and, should he be the Opening Day starter, is probably only a consideration in AL-only leagues despite his top prospect status.