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The Tampa Bay Rays are in first place in the American League East, but the New York Yankees easily could retake the division lead this season.
But there's no denying that this 2026 season has been a very successful one so far for the Rays. That doesn't mean every player is having a good season, though.
As Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reports, the Rays are reinstating Ben Williams from the injured list and making a roster move on former top prospect Carson Williams that should worry Rays fans.
Rays make unfortunate Carson Williams roster move
"Rays reinstate INF Ben Williams from IL, option Carson Williams back to AAA," Topkin reported Friday.
This is an unfortunate roster move for the Rays, as they're sending Williams, their former top prospect who had plenty of buzz about him before his big league debut, back down to the minor leagues.
The 22-year-old infielder hasn't had much of a chance at the big league level yet, playing in 44 total games, including 32 last year and 12 this season, with just 129 at-bats total.
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In the 12 games this season, across 30 at-bats, he had just three hits, one double, six runs scored, three RBIs, two walks, and 11 strikeouts with a .100 batting average, a .290 OPS, and a brutal -17 OPS+.
While it might be way too soon to write Williams off as a bust, it is hard to ignore how poorly he's played in the Majors so far the last two years.
He has been better in the minors, but a .751 OPS this season and a .765 OPS last season aren't exactly the greatest numbers for Williams.
Williams can still turn things around, but this roster move comes amid a rough stint in the Majors this season, and further brings up questions about whether he can truly live up to the billing of his top-prospect status.
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