This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays didn’t necessarily plan to call up top prospect Carson Williams late last August. But as their chances of contending slipped away, and their shortstop depth evaporated, they decided to try to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation.
“I couldn’t be more thankful for them to give me that opportunity,” Williams said in a recent interview with MLB.com, “and I think it did wonders for me this offseason.”
Williams spoke with MLB.com’s Jesse Borek earlier this week during the league’s annual Rookie Program. Here is part of that interview, which has been edited for clarity and length.
MLB.com: Now that you’ve had some time to kind of take a step back from [your debut] a little bit, how do you assess how that all went with the call-up back in August and September, getting to spend a little time at the big league level?
Williams: That debut was the best day of my life. I don’t know anything that’s going to top it anytime soon. It was unbelievable to get the call-up. It felt like I had accomplished something that I had been working for for a really long time, and the whole call-up experience and getting to play for that last month was really cool because I got a month of learning. Baseball kicked my butt a little bit in the big leagues — as it should; it’s the pinnacle of baseball — and I learned a lot, and I got to take it into this offseason and I think I’ve made some really good adjustments.
MLB.com: How important is that, for fans that maybe don’t recognize that, to kind of establish that winning culture in the Minor Leagues before you get up to the big league level?
Williams: It’s the farm system for the big leagues, so I think the Rays, they’re really doing a good job of getting us as ready as possible for that beast when you finally get called up. They do a wonderful job of explaining how the big leagues works, especially in Spring Training — what they like to do, how they like to try to win — and we try to incorporate that as much as possible in the Minors.
COMPLETE RAYS PROSPECT COVERAGE
MLB.com: Take me through how this offseason was different for you. Was it different?
Williams: The way that I trained was definitely different, especially on the hitting front. I made a few adjustments that I really think [are] going to help us next year. On the body and training front, it has been similar, because my body has done me good so far through the seasons. Just having the knowledge of that month, month and a half … was huge, because I knew exactly what I wanted to get done and what I wanted to adjust, especially in the swing. Even on defense, being quicker and making sure we get those double plays, there were definitely a few points that I really look forward to showing off this year.
MLB.com: Looking ahead to 2026, what’s big on your radar? Is it just kind of sticking at the Major League level, or are you kind of setting any goals in particular for the year ahead?
Williams: I’d love to stick at the big league level, and I’d say the adjustments I need to make are very glaring and obvious. That’s it. I want to help this team win, and I want to become the best baseball player I can. That’s all.
