The Tampa Bay Rays called up one of their top prospects, shortstop Carson Williams, in late August. Incumbent shortstop Ha-Seong Kim was placed on waivers and subsequently claimed by the Atlanta Braves. Taylor Walls, a light hitter with sterling defense, underwent season-ending sports hernia surgery, even though he is expected to be healthy by the start of 2026.
Those pieces of roster news cleared the pathway for one of their best prospects to get valuable experience under his belt. How’s it going so far?
How Carson Williams is Looking Early in His Career
Adjusting to Major League Life
Williams was the Rays’ top prospect and the No. 47 prospect in all of baseball according to MLB.com. Williams had elite defensive skills that could help offset some of his concerning swing-and-miss tendencies. To wit, Williams already has 22 strikeouts in 51 at-bats. It’s always difficult to judge a young hitter this early in his career, but Williams struck out in 34.1% of his plate appearances while only drawing walks at a 12.4% clip at Triple-A Durham this season.
Meanwhile, Williams has popped three home runs, two of which occurred in the confines of Steinbrenner Field. The bat speed is real, and Williams looks the part of a player who will be manning the shortstop position for a long time. Opposing pitchers are throwing him an inordinate amount of breaking balls, as he’s whiffing on 58.7% of those pitches. Williams is just one in a long line of young hitters who initially struggle with breaking balls and sliders. Interestingly, he’s seeing a relatively equal number of fastballs and breaking balls. An on-base percentage that regularly clocked in above .300 during his minor league career is real and should only help his development going forward.
A WILLIAMS AND A WAY pic.twitter.com/cUu2MolfWQ
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 7, 2025
His Job To Lose
The Rays typically let their actions do the talking. Their actions are sending an unmistakable message that the shortstop job is Williams’ to lose. They are basically handing him the keys and telling him not to crash the automobile.
Williams could be challenged for an everyday spot by the emergence of Tristan Gray. Gray has bounced around on multiple rosters the past few seasons. He found a home with the Rays in late July via a trade with the Chicago White Sox, and could be deserving of an extended look. Gray is currently slashing .244/.304/.512 with three home runs and seven RBI in 18 games. He is playing the majority of his games against right-handed pitching, but he has slashed two home runs against southpaws. His go-ahead home run against Tyler Alexander at Rate Field in Chicago would have been a home run in every other ballpark. If Williams continues to struggle, the Rays may give Gray a longer leash down the stretch of the regular season.
The Last Word
The Rays are not seriously contending for a playoff spot, so the pressure and spotlight should be a lot lower than if the team were preparing to face one of the elite clubs in baseball. The Rays can handle the playing time in a number of ways if they are still intent on finding at-bats for the rest of their infield. Gray can shift over to second base so the Rays can get more bats in the lineup. The Rays are trying to see what they have on the roster for next season and beyond. Those decisions will have huge ramifications for the manner in which the Rays attack this offseason.
Main Photo Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
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