Earlier this season, the Tampa Bay Rays were in the thick of the postseason race. They were nipping at the New York Yankees’ heels for the AL East lead at one point. Now, however, the Rays are in a distant fourth place in their division. Tampa Bay is also six and a half games out of the Wild Card race. While the postseason is still an attainable goal, it is unlikely that the Rays will reach the dance. Nevertheless, it is an excellent time to see how their young players can handle a late season run. To that end, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported via X (formerly Twitter) that Tampa Bay is calling up shortstop Carson Williams to the majors.
“The Tampa Bay Rays are calling up shortstop Carson Williams, the No. 24 prospect in all of baseball, sources tell ESPN,” reported Passan. “Williams, 22, has an elite glove and serious power and projects to be the long-term starter in one of the best young left sides of the infield in baseball.”
As this season draws to a close, the Rays still have plenty to play for. Most notably, the front office would love to see how its various young players, like Williams and first baseman Bob Seymour, can handle the season’s final few weeks. If Williams can stake a claim to the starting shortstop role, then many of Tampa Bay’s leadership will be thrilled. Can Williams join forces with third baseman Junior Caminero to form one of the most exciting left sides of the infield in baseball?
Future of Rays infield will be on display as regular season wanes
For now, free agent addition Ha-Seong Kim is manning shortstop in Tampa Bay. The former San Diego Padre has had a very disappointing first year with the team, as injuries have rendered him largely ineffective. Now that the team likely won’t make the playoffs, seeing what Williams can do in the majors is something that many Rays fans (as well as their players) would like to see.
Even though he’s only hitting .213 on the season in Triple-A, his form over the last few weeks has shown quite the turnaround. On the season, he’s already hit 23 home runs and 55 RBIs to go with 22 stolen bases. It’s clear to see why Williams is one of baseball’s top prospects. If he can lock down the starting shortstop gig over Kim, can he help boost the Rays’ slim postseason hopes alongside Caminero?
