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.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams continued to shine on Thursday, delivering a two-out RBI triple in the fourth inning to tie the game against the Nashville Sounds. The triple was the only hit of his four at-bats in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Sounds. After a cold start to the season, hitting just .173 through May, Baseball America's preseason No. 11 overall prospect has found his footing. Since June 1, Williams is batting .291 with three doubles, two triples, and nine home runs, showcasing the loud tools that make him one of the most exciting prospects in baseball. The 22-year-old still carries a concerning 35.3% strikeout rate, but his ability to impact the game with both power and athleticism remains undeniable. The Rays could be tempted to give him a look in the second half, but Taylor Walls should continue to block Williams' path to the lineup with his elite defense. Some additional seasoning in Triple-A should benefit Williams in the long run. Williams remains a high-upside stash in dynasty formats, with watch-list appeal in redraft leagues depending on Tampa Bay's trade deadline moves.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams has continued to hit for power at Triple-A. On Thursday evening during their contest against the Norfolk Tides, Williams went 1-for-1 with a home run and three walks. This was his third straight contest going deep. Over his last 11 games, Williams has posted a stellar .359/.490/.846 slash line with two doubles, one triple, five home runs, and three stolen bases. However, before this impressive surge, Williams held a .214/.327/.429 line over his last 12 games. While the top-ranked prospect in Tampa Bay has taken time to adjust to the top level of the minor leagues, he has begun to find his footing and is making a strong case to join Tampa Bay in the second half. If he continues to hit for power at this rate, he could be worth stashing in all 12-plus team leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays infield prospect Carson Williams went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk during their contest against Triple-A Memphis on Sunday. Over his last nine games, Williams has been quite productive at the plate, posting a .343/.439/.714 slash line with two doubles, a triple, a home run, 13 RBI, and a 16:4 K:BB. Before this surge, the top-ranked prospect in Tampa Bay held a modest .206/.311/.429 line over his last 18 contests. The 22-year-old has spent the entire campaign at the Triple-A level. Through 73 games, Williams has struggled at times, holding an overall .211/.312/.425 line. However, he has hit for power, tallying 11 doubles and 13 home runs. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Williams' development as he should join Tampa Bay later in the second half.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, and three RBI in Tuesday's 15-6 win over Triple-A Memphis. Williams hit a 465-foot moonshot in the bottom of the fourth inning and has been surging in June. The 22-year-old is slashing .324.425/662 with six homers and four stolen bases across 76 plate appearances. He's maintained a high walk rate while also making more contact during this stretch. Williams is the Rays' top prospect according to MLB.com, and if he continues trending this way, he could make his debut late in the season.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI with a run scored in Thursday's 8-4 win against Triple-A Omaha. Williams has enjoyed a productive month of June, hitting .275/.373/.569 with four homers and three stolen bases in 60 plate appearances. Positively, he's cut his strikeout rate down into the mid-20 percent range during this time. Overall, the season-long numbers still look disappointing as he's hitting .201/.306/.397 with a strikeout rate north of 35 percent. The 21-year-old is still young for the level and has big power, but will need to continue to develop his contact ability in the minors before being considered for a promotion.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams smacked a three-run home run on Sunday at Triple-A Durham in a 1-for-4 night at the plate. Unfortunately, the other three plate appearances resulted in a strikeout, wrapping up another tough week for the Rays' top-ranked prospect after going 3-for-19 (.158) over six games. The 21-year-old is now slashing .158/.273/.316 in 2025, with 10 home runs but a 34.8 percent strikeout rate and a 17.1 swinging-strike rate. While the former first-rounder makes loud contact when he puts the bat on the ball, one would figure his ability to do just that would only get harder at the big league level. The 6-foot-2 slugger was expected to make a debut for the Rays this season, but he's going to need to turn it around soon for that timeline to hold true.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams went 4-for-5 with two home runs and seven RBI during their contest against Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday. Over his last six contests, Williams has posted a .375/.442/.792 slash line with a double and three round-trippers. The top prospect in the Tampa Bay system was able to open the campaign by making his Triple-A debut. Through his first 57 games with Durham, Williams has held a modest .197/.296/.394 line. However, it appears the infielder is beginning to turn the corner, especially from a power perspective. Last summer, Williams spent his entire season with Double-A Montgomery and held a .256/.352/.469 line with 20 doubles and 20 long balls. Williams could contend for his MLB debut in the second half if he continues to make strides at the plate.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams went 3-for-5 with a double, a solo home run, and three runs scored on Sunday for Triple-A Durham. Hopefully this performance gets him going, as it has been a challenging start to the season for the 21-year-old. The former first-round draft pick homered twice on May 7, but that was followed by a 4-for-36 (.111) stretch before hitting another homer on May 21, which was then followed by a 3-for-26 (.115) stretch before Sunday's three-hit game. Sunday's home run came off the bat at 101.8 mph, and the double was hit even harder at 107.6, so he can still make loud contact, but contact has been the problem, as the 6-foot-2 slugger owns an 18.5 percent swinging-strike rate and an ugly 37.4 percent strikeout rate thus far. With Ha-Seong Kim on the verge of returning, the big league club doesn't need to rush Williams, but they'll surely hope he gets things going, as he was projected to be the shortstop of the future, and is currently the author of a .185/.284/.370 slash line on the year.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams went 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI, and an additional run in Wednesday's extra-inning win against Triple-A Worcester. The season-long numbers for Williams are disappointing, with a .181/.287/.362 slash line and a 39% strikeout rate. The 21-year-old has plus power and discipline, but the inability to make consistent contact holds him back. He is still young for the level, and there is a chance we see him in the majors later this summer if he turns things around.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams continues to struggle mightily at Triple-A. The former first-round draft pick had a two-homer game on May 7, but since then, he's gone 2-for-18 (.111) with 10 strikeouts. Forthe season, the Rays' top prospect (MLB No. 24) is hitting .175 with an ugly 39.9 percent strikeout rate, and if not for a solid 14.2 percent walk rate, his .297 OBP would look even worse. On the bright side, the 21-year-old has five home runs and seven stolen bases, but for a player who was potentially going to get a call-up to the majors later this season, that probably won't cut it. Hopefully the youngster can heat up with the weather, but for now, it looks like he'll remain at Triple-A, so there's no reason for redraft managers to stash him.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams went 2-for-5 with two home runs and a stolen base during their contest against Triple-A Gwinnett. This was a much-needed breakout game for Williams, as he has struggled during his first extended look at Triple-A. Through 32 games this season with the Durham Bulls, the No. 8-ranked prospect in the sport according to MLB Pipeline, has held a modest .185/.313/.398 slash line with four doubles, two triples, five home runs, and six stolen bases. However, over his last four games, it appears Williams is beginning to turn the corner as he has gone deep three times and held a .263/.417/.789 line. Last summer, the top-ranked prospect in Tampa Bay spent the entire campaign at Double-A. If he continues to progress at Triple-A, Williams could push for a second-half MLB debut.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams went 2-for-3 with a home run during Thursday's contest against Triple-A Jacksonville. This was his third home run of the season and second in his previous two games. Through his first 28 games at the top level of the minor leagues, the infield prospect has struggled at times as he currently holds a modest .185/.312/.359 slash line with just three doubles, three long balls, and three stolen bases. Last summer, Williams spent his entire campaign with Double-A Montgomery, where he posted a .256/.352/.469 line with 20 doubles and 20 home runs. Fantasy managers should expect the No. 8-ranked prospect in the sport to push for a second-half MLB debut if he continues to improve at Triple-A.

MLB.com's Brendon Samson writes that Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams is expected to open the 2025 season with Triple-A Durham. Williams, the 28th overall pick in the 28th round of the 2021 MLB draft, is the club's No. 1 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and is knocking on the door for his first MLB promotion. The 21-year-old will get a bump up to Triple-A after slashing .256/.353/.469 with 20 home runs, 69 RBI, 33 steals and 83 runs scored in 115 games with Double-A Montgomery in 2024. While he may never hit for a high average at the next level due to a propensity for plenty of strikeouts, his power/speed combination already makes him a stash candidate in dynasty/keeper leagues. Additionally, the has the tools on defense to stick at shortstop long term. Williams could make his MLB debut in 2025, but he's expected to spend most, if not all of the year, with the Bulls.

The Tampa Bay Rays have assigned infield prospect Carson Williams to minor-league camp. Williams was not in contention for a spot on the MLB roster but did perform well during camp. Across 12 games, Williams held a .281/.343/.406 line with two doubles and one triple. Williams is considered not only one of the top prospects in the Tampa Bay system but in all of baseball. Last season, the former 28th overall pick spent his entire summer at the Double-A level. Across 115 contests, Williams posted a .256/.352/.469 slash line with 20 doubles and 20 home runs. He swiped 33 bags and held a 58:144 BB:K. During the 2023 season, he posted a .254/.351/.506 line across 105 games at High-A. Fantasy managers should expect Williams to reach Triple-A early in the campaign, which could open the door for a late-season MLB debut.

Tampa Bay Rays outfield prospect Chandler Simpson and shortstop prospect Carson Williams both put their offensive skills on display in Thursday's 7-5 Spring Breakout win over the Red Sox prospects. Simpson flashed his 80-grade speed on an infield hit to shortstop that he easily beat the throw to first, then swiped his first bag of the series. Then Carson Williams provided some insurance for his squad in the eighth inning when he blasted a two-out solo home run, giving his team some breathing room as they headed into the ninth inning. Neither is expected to make the team out of Spring Training, but both could be fantasy contributors in the second half of the season.