Rays To Promote Top Prospect Carson Williams for MLB Debut
The Tampa Bay Rays are calling up shortstop Carson Williams, Just Baseball's No. 27 prospect, to make his MLB debut.
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There’s been a flurry of top prospect promotions in Major League Baseball as we approach the final week of August, including catcher Samuel Basallo of the Baltimore Orioles (Just Baseball’s No. 6 prospect), outfielder Owen Caissie of the Chicago Cubs (Just Baseball’s No. 41 prospect), and hurler Bubba Chandler of the Pittsburgh Pirates (Just Baseball’s No. 11 prospect).
Another big name was added to that list on Thursday afternoon when ESPN’s Jeff Passan announced that the Tampa Bay Rays are calling up shortstop Carson Williams to their major-league roster.
Williams, 22, is Just Baseball’s No. 27 overall prospect and Tampa Bay’s No. 1 prospect in their system. He’s one of the top defensive prospects in all of baseball and comes with some real power potential to dream on. He forms a formidable one-two punch on the left side of the infield alongside budding superstar Junior Caminero at third base for the Rays.
Defense is Williams’ calling card, earning a 60 fielding grade with a 70 future value from our Aram Leighton. Being the type of defender that he is at a premier position gives him a high floor as a major leaguer, but his intrigue doesn’t end there.
Offensively is where Williams could really separate himself and become a future All-Star if things fall into place at the next level.
Williams is coming off a 2024 season where he hit .256/.352/.469 for an .821 OPS and 142 wRC+ in Double-A. Stealing 33 bases and hitting 20 homers in 115 games, Williams brought power, speed, and defense to the table as he worked his way through Tampa Bay’s minor league system.
It’s been a step back in some regards for Williams offensively in 2025 upon his promotion to Triple-A, hitting just .213 with a .318 on-base percentage with the Durham Bulls. However, his power potential continues to shine through, hitting 23 homers in 111 games to go with a .447 slugging percentage and .234 isolated power.
Strikeouts continue to be an issue for Williams, who has a 34.1% strikeout rate in Triple-A this season and struck out over 28% of the time in Double-A last year, but it’s easier to stomach those swing-and-miss numbers when his power is coming along the way that it has. Still, that’s a key area to watch as he adapts to big-league arms.
As mentioned, on top of his power and defense, he’s also an above average runner who stole 20 bases in 115 games across three levels in 2023, 33 bases in 115 games in Double-A last season, and 22 bases in 11 games in Triple-A this year.
His hit tool is his weakest tool, but with the value he provides in the basepaths and with his glove, he has an extremely encouraging outlook as a big leaguer if he can build upon his improved plate discipline and see some of that power translate to the majors.
Rays fans will now get a glimpse of what the future may hold on the left side of the infield for years to come. The combination of Williams and Caminero could project to be one of the more exciting, young infield duos in baseball heading into 2026, and Williams will look to lay a strong foundation in the coming weeks.
Carson Williams Scouting Report
For a deeper dive on Williams and what fans can expect from him this year and beyond, check out Aram Leighton’s scouting report on Tampa Bay’s bright shortstop:
Carson Williams – SS – Tampa Bay Rays
Height/Weight: 6’2″, 180 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 1st Round (28), 2021 (TB) | ETA: 2025
| HIT | Plate Disc. | GAME POWER | RUN | FIELD | FV |
| 30/35 | 50/55 | 50/60 | 55/55 | 60/70 | 55 |
One of the best defensive shortstops in the minor leagues, Williams took a big step forward with his plate discipline while launching 20 homers for the second consecutive season. Swing and miss is still a concern, but he looks like the future at shortstop for the Rays.
Offense
Williams starts with an upright stance and relies on his natural bat speed and athleticism to produce thump, but his lack of lower half involvement leaves power/adjustability on the table for him. His bat path is geared for lift, helping him produce plenty of home runs and extra base hits, but also leaving him susceptible to higher whiff figures.
Williams hedges the whiff with an improved approach that he focused on as he made the leap to the upper levels and it translated into a lower strikeout rate in 2024. The lack of adjustability is a concern still as Williams’ out of zone contact rate of 33% was one of the lower figures in the Rays org and could make the transition to the highest level difficult.
Already reaching exit velocities as high as 112 MPH along with a 90th percentile exit velocity around 105 MPH between 2023 and 2024, Williams has the potential to hit plenty of homers given his feel to lift and has already showcased the ability to get into his power in games with 43 homers between his 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Most of Williams’ production came against fastballs at the lower levels, but he improved his output against secondaries significantly in 2024, upping his OPS against non-fastballs by roughly 130 points to .760.
2024 was undoubtedly a step in the right direction offensively for Williams in what was his age 20/21 season. Likely to land at a below average hit tool, continued improvement of his swing decisions will be imperative to his offensive consistency. If he can hit enough, Williams has the power to hit 30 homers, albeit with a low batting average and a high number of strikeouts.
Defense/Speed
Williams is an above average runner with an easy plus arm. His actions are smooth and his feet are quick. He attacks the baseball with confidence and is capable of making difficult throws from all sorts of angles. Williams’ instincts at the position are ahead of his years, making him an easy bet to stick at the position and likely a plus or better defender.
While he is not a burner, Williams is fast enough to be a factor on the base paths. He doubled his stolen base output in 2024, grabbing 33 bags, but he could be more efficient as he was thrown out 11 times as well.
Outlook
A plus defender shortstop with big power potential is easy to get excited about. Williams will need to build on his improvements offensively, but 30 home run upside with impact defense at short does not grow on trees. A high strikeout rate may just come with the territory, but even if he is just a mistake hitter, Williams has defensive ability and improved on base skills to be an above average regular at shortstop. With another step forward offensively, he can be an All-Star.
Written by
Joey Peterson is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an editor for Just Baseball. Joey covers the Milwaukee Brewers, along with general MLB topics…