Carson Williams to make MLB debut: Rays promoting their top shortstop prospect, per report
Williams is a good defender with real power, but he's struggled to keep his strikeout rate in check
•
1 min read
The Tampa Bay Rays are promoting shortstop prospect Carson Williams to the majors, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The Rays haven't announced Williams' promotion or a corresponding move, but veteran shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is expected to head to the injured list after he was scratched from Wednesday's game on account of a tight back.
Williams, 22, is a talented defender who has spent the season in Triple-A, where he's batted .213/.318/.447 with 23 home runs and 22 stolen bases over the course of 111 games. Concerningly, he's struggled with making consistent contact. He punched out in more than 34% of his trips to the plate, all the while whiffing on nearly 39% of his total swings.
CBS Sports recently ranked Williams as the No. 22 prospect in the minors, writing the following:
One of the challenges of prospect evaluation is assessing what is realistic versus unrealistic growth. Williams' swing-and-miss concerns have existed for as long as he's been a professional, and it's unrealistic to think that he'll ever fully slay that horror movie villain. Still, is it realistic to expect some growth in that department from a player who only just celebrated his 22nd birthday? I would like to think yes. That's why I'm still ranking him -- and his abundance of above average-to-plus tools -- despite a 39.4% whiff rate that would represent the second highest in the majors among qualifiers.
Williams joins Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Bubba Chandler and Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo as top prospects to receive the call in recent days. That's no coincidence: there are now fewer than 45 days remaining in the big-league regular season, meaning that players can be promoted without losing their rookie eligibility for next year.
