Carson Williams Fantasy Stats

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Carson Williams has made the Opening Day roster, according to Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. Williams will be the team's starting shortstop. The 22-year-old made his MLB debut just last season, appearing in 32 games. He definitely offered more value in the field than at the plate, slashing just .172/.219/.354 with a 41.5% strikeout rate and 54 wRC+. At Triple-A prior to his promotion, he had a mere .213 batting average but offered power and speed with 23 homers and 22 stolen bases. In his first full season at the major league level, we wouldn't be shocked to see Williams continue to hit right around the Mendoza line while still offering solid power, impressive speed, and above-average defense. The 2026 ZiPS projections have Williams launching 21 homers, stealing 16 bags, and posting 91 wRC+. Now that he's penciled into the starting role, he should handle enough playing time to get on the fantasy radar, especially in deeper leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop and top prospect Carson Williams "seems likely" to be the team's Opening Day starting shortstop, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Williams was optioned to Minor League camp on Tuesday, but the news that presumed Rays starting shortstop Taylor Walls (oblique) will open the year on the Injured List due to an oblique issue has apparently necessitated a change in plans. Williams made his MLB debut in 2025 and struggled mightily, slashing .172/.219/.354 with five home runs, 12 RBI, 11 runs scored, and two stolen bases across 106 plate appearances. The 22-year-old struck out in 41.5% of his big-league plate appearances and wasn't much better at Triple-A, where he logged a 34.1% strikeout rate. However, Williams also racked up 23 home runs and 22 stolen bases across his 451 Minor League plate appearances in 2025. If he can limit his swing-and-miss to a more manageable level, Williams carries clear power/speed upside for fantasy managers. However, his profile comes with considerable downside risk in the batting average category.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams, who was in contention to make the Opening Day roster, has been optioned to minor-league camp and will start the 2026 season at Triple-A Durham, according to Ryan Bass. Williams is a key piece of the Rays' future and is expected to be up in the major leagues at some point in 2026. The 22-year-old former 28th overall pick in 2021 looked overmatched in his first taste of big-league pitching in just 32 games, going 17-for-99 (.172) with five homers, 12 RBI, six walks, and 44 strikeouts in 106 plate appearances. He has looked much better in Grapefruit League action this spring, going 8-for-22 (.364) with two RBI, a run, one stolen base, one walk, and five strikeouts in 11 games played. Per MLB Pipeline, Williams is Tampa's No. 1 prospect. He has clear 20/20 upside at a premium position, making him a must-stash in all dynasty/keeper leagues, and even some deeper mixed and AL-only leagues in 2026.

Tampa Bay Rays top infield prospect Carson Williams made his MLB debut late in the season and appears to be the favorite to land the starting shortstop job out of spring training. During his first 32-game stint with Tampa Bay, the former 28th overall pick (from the 2021 MLB Draft) posted a .172/.219/.354 line but showed solid power upside, launching five home runs. However, his hefty 41.5% K% tainted his production. Earlier in the season, Williams spent the entire campaign with Triple-A Durham, where he posted a .213/.318/.447 line with a .765 OPS. He hit 23 home runs and swiped 22 bases. While his strikeout rate will hinder his upside in points leagues, Williams has shown a solid power and speed skill set that could translate to deeper category formats. He is worth monitoring in spring training as he could be a viable late-round depth middle infielder in 15+ team formats.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams is making his major-league debut on Friday night against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Miles Mikolas, starting at shortstop and batting seventh for the Rays. Fantasy managers might want to temper expectations for the 22-year-old infielder in his first taste of big-league pitching given his struggles at the plate in the minors, but he should at least play regularly for Tampa while Ha-Seong Kim is on the 10-day injured list with a back injury. The Rays' top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, had 23 home runs, 22 stolen bases and 55 RBI in 451 plate appearances at Triple-A Durham, but he was also hitting just .213. The upside is evident, though, and Williams should already be rostered in all dynasty/keeper leagues for his power/speed skills. If he can continue to improve, he has the ability to be a future All-Star.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams is getting called up for his major-league debut. The Rays' top-ranked prospect (MLB No. 47) is an elite defender, but also brings both power and speed on the offensive side. The former first-round draft pick belted 23 home runs in 111 games at Triple-A Durham this season, including five in his last 10 contests, and he stole 22 bases, but struggled to put the bat on the ball consistently this year. He was batting a paltry .213 with a high 34.1 percent strikeout rate and a 17.2 percent swinging-strike rate. It's hard to imagine those things getting better in the majors, but for fantasy managers looking for a potential power boost, the 22-year-old is worth a flier in deep leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a stolen base in a 5-4 loss against Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday. Williams hit his 23rd homer and swiped his 22nd base of the year. The 22-year-old has been streaky at the plate this season, opening with a .564 OPS in April and .632 in May before breaking out with a .999 mark in June. He's followed a similar theme in the second half of the year, with a mediocre .714 OPS in July, and has now heated back up with a .948 mark in August. The hit tool continues to be the biggest drawback for the top shortstop prospect, as a 34.2% strikeout rate at Triple-A is tough to overcome. Williams is a candidate to be promoted when rosters expand, and his power and speed combo would make him a decent speculative add.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams continued his power surge on Wednesday. Facing Triple-A Nashville, the shortstop went 1-for-2 with a long ball and two walks. This was his third home run over his last four games. Before this impressive power surge, Williams went just 4-for-18 over his last five contests. Since the start of August, Williams has been very productive at the plate, holding a .263/.364/.579 line with four home runs, two stolen bases, and a 12:6 K:BB. The 22-year-old has spent the entire 2025 regular season with Triple-A Durham. While he got off to a slow start in the first half, he has begun to find his footing and is making a case to be in the mix to join Tampa for the stretch. He is a name to monitor as Tampa could give him a look if he continues to hit for power.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams belted his 19th home run of the season on Saturday in a 1-for-4 day at the plate at Triple-A Durham. The Rays' top-ranked prospect can clearly make hard contact, and even looked like he was beginning to hit for average from mid-June to mid-July when he hit .308 over a 22-game stretch, but since then he's 9-for-55 (.163) while the strikeouts continue to plague him, recording 22 strikeouts to just five walks over the last 15 games. For the season, the former first-rounder is slashing .212/.312/.426 with a 34.5 percent strikeout rate. If he can get going, maybe the Rays call him up in September, otherwise, he should make a debut in 2026, although he may get the call for his glove more than his bat.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams had mixed results over the first half at Triple-A Durham, hitting .216/.322/.445 (99 wRC+) with 16 homers and 17 stolen bases. The power and speed combination is super impressive, as he is one of just three players in the entire minor leagues to put up those numbers or better. The downside is that the contact ability has been really poor, with a 34.4 percent strikeout rate. The contact has to improve for him to become a serious consideration for a promotion to the big leagues. His blend of power and speed with his defensive prowess keeps his floor relatively high, but it can be wiped away by a poor hit tool. Williams' strikeout rate will be a key area for fantasy managers to keep an eye on in the second half.