Subscribe
Follow Us
The Tampa Bay Rays are turning to their top prospect at a critical point in their season. Shortstop Carson Williams, the organization’s No. 1 prospect and one of the most highly regarded young talents in baseball, was officially called up before Tampa Bay’s series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals. Williams’ arrival has energized the clubhouse. “He’s one of the best baseball players I’ve seen,” first baseman Bob Seymour said. “He’s going to do great.”
The 22-year-old received the news of his promotion Thursday morning from his Durham Bulls manager, Morgan Ensberg. What followed was a whirlwind travel day—flights from Pennsylvania to North Carolina to Tampa—before he landed in the Rays’ dugout during the second inning of their 7-4 loss.
“There's nerves, there's excitement,” Williams said afterward. “It's a whole whirlwind of emotions, and it’s all amazing.” The timing of Williams’ promotion coincides with Tampa Bay’s need for stability at shortstop. Both Taylor Walls and Ha-Seong Kim (low back inflammation, now on the 10-day IL) are sidelined, leaving an immediate opening.
Manager Kevin Cash praised how the prospect has handled the pressure of expectations. “The pressure that rightfully he put on himself, and the pressure that everybody else put on him coming into [Spring Training] and being ‘the guy,’ I think he's handled it really, really well.”
Rays call up their top prospect in hopes of a playoff boost
Williams, taken 28th overall in the 2021 Draft, offers a combination of defense, power, and speed rarely seen in a single player. A Minor League Gold Glove winner, he’s recorded three straight 20-home run, 20-steal seasons in the minors. This year with Triple-A Durham, he became the only player at that level to reach both marks again, posting 23 homers and 22 stolen bases before the call-up.
Teammates are confident his talent will translate. Outfielder Chandler Simpson, who has played alongside Williams since High-A Bowling Green, called him “an MVP, All-Star-caliber player at his best… He’s got all the tools.”
The road hasn’t been without bumps. Williams endured a brutal start to 2025, hitting just .173 with a .277 on-base percentage in his first 51 games. But he found his footing over the summer, producing a .248/.352/.538 line with 17 home runs in his last 60 games.
“I would say the adjustment to Triple-A, those first two months were rough,” Williams admitted. “But… finding my way with pitch selection and stacking good at-bats, I felt like I got back to being Carson Williams.”
Still, strikeouts remain a concern. Williams’ 34.2% strikeout rate ranked among the highest in Triple-A, raising questions about how he’ll handle big league pitching. But his violent swing and ability to punish mistakes make him a high-upside gamble for a Rays team searching for a spark.
Beyond his skill set, Williams is praised for his character and love of the game. “I think it’s important that you love this game more than anything, because it kicks you right back most of the time,” Williams said. “To go out and give it everything you’ve got every day, it’s what it’s all about.”
For a Rays team sitting on the edge of playoff contention, Williams represents both a short-term boost and a long-term building block. And if the hype around him proves true, Tampa Bay may have just added a game-changer at the perfect time.
