AL East: Williams pushing for early opportunity

Tampa Bay Rays

After struggling in a brief cup of coffee in the majors last season (.172/.219/.354 in 106 PA), Carson Williams entered camp with an outside chance of claiming the starting shortstop job for Tampa Bay. Williams has been getting plenty of opportunities to try to win the job, as he’s tied for the team lead with seven starts at shortstop this spring. 

Williams has been solid offensively, going 8-22. Perhaps the most notable aspect of Williams’ performance has been his lack of whiffs, as he’s struck out just five times in 24 plate appearances, a far cry from the strikeout rate that plagued him last year (41.5 K% in 106 PA in MLB; 34.1 K% in 451 PA in AAA). While Williams’ chance at the Opening Day roster should still be...

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