RBLR Rays Weekly Roundtable – 9/21/26 – Williamson’s Back
One of the key players is back after spending close to two months on the disabled list, and the stats reveal why that’s so important. In addition, with a job constantly available there are plenty of opportunities to daydream about who else might fill the Rays’ ability to find value in unanticipated places.
Jacob Macauley (@raysfarmreport) : Why Ben Williamson returning is important
Before the Rays dominant 5-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox, they announced the return of utility man Ben Williamson. Williamson’s 7-week absence saw several players try to replicate his productivity, including Jorge Mateo, Carson Williams, and Nick Madrigal who even made a cameo.
Since August 6th, those 3 players have accumulated -0.6 fWAR, and that contribution is exclusively coming from Mateo thanks to his poor defensive metrics (-2 DEF value) and 6 wRC+ with Tampa Bay. Mateo’s spotty defense and ineffectiveness vs. his platoon have really hurt the Rays in the past month and a half. Williamson’s return should help remedy the Rays’ issues at that position, but how?
Ben Williamson was acquired by Tampa Bay this offseason in a 3 team swap including St. Louis and Seattle in exchange for a compensatory draft selection and Colton Ledbetter.
Ben was asked to make a position swap a year removed from accumulating 8 defensive runs saved at 3B (6th most among 3B), and it didn’t start the best for Ben, as there were plenty of growing pains in the early portion of the season, but overall he has accumulated 3 defensive runs saved at 2B and even 1 at SS. In comparison to Mateo’s -1 DRS at both positions, that is a monumental upgrade in itself for Tampa Bay. Williamson was also a core part of this lineup, especially vs. LHP this season, as he is an extremely versatile offensive player, allowing the Rays to use him in a multitude of situations such as hit-and-runs, and he has an innate feel for bunting.
It’ll be refreshing to get Williamson reacclimated and back in the lineup on most days; the improvement at 2B was a pleasure to watch, and his ability to move base runners and work competitive at-bats should give this already versatile Tampa Bay offense even more versatility.
Carter Brantley (@ctbrantley12) : Fringe Guys Rays Could Take A Shot On
Of all the things the Rays are known for, their ability to take marginal major leaguers and find a niche for them or give them the playing time and tools to actually become solid contributors might be my favorite.
Ryan Vilade, Victor Mesa, Jr. and Richie Palacios are all great examples of guys who might’ve been overlooked by other teams, but are instead valuable players on a playoff team.
Now, trying to guess along with the Rays is certainly a fool’s errand; it’s a near certainty that all of the guys I mention won’t end up in Tampa Bay.
But hey, it’s still fun to list some unknown guys, or remember some former top prospects.
Marco Luciano
Luciano certainly falls into that second category. With the Giants he was comfortably a top-100 guy. Now, at still only age 25, he’s with the Yankees in Triple-A.
He’s still positionally challenged and will at most be a second baseman. His days of being seen as a potential shortstop are long gone. He’s moved around a bit, so perhaps there’s “versatility,” but that might be more of a generous way of saying he’s not really good anywhere (i.e. Christopher Morel).
What he does offer is plenty of upside offensively. His power marks this season in the minors have been excellent, with a 10.9% barrel rate and an 80th percentile average exit velocity. He also pulls the ball in the air quite a bit, potentially very valuable at the Trop.
He’s still got plenty of swing and miss, as his whiff rate is a tough 30.4%, but he walks enough to still be fun.
The Rays trading for Jack Suwinski was fascinating, and Luciano could be another fun little project to have in Durham.
BJ Murray, Jr.
I know what you’re thinking; “Did you really just include this guy because he shares the first name of your favorite Ray and is a switch hitter?”
To that I say, maybe.
But, Murray has been a very good hitter at every level since being drafted out of Florida Atlantic University in 2021. After a tough adjustment period to Triple-A in 2024, Murray has been just as good over the past 2 season as he was in the lower levels.
Like Luciano, he’s limited defensively, but unlike Luciano, he’s a corner infielder, obviously not positions in which the Rays are remotely looking for upgrades.
He did play almost 100 innings in left this year down on the farm, so maybe that’s the answer. Even so his profile wouldn’t lend him to being a guy the Rays would want to run out there too often, especially with their emphasis on outfield defense.
Regardless, the bat is the focus, and it’s interesting. His quality of contact and plate discipline marks are both good, with an 82nd percentile hard hit rate and only a 23% chase rate.
His strikeout rate is a very manageable 21.4%, so contact shouldn’t be too much of an issue, and he’ll be 27 next season. He got called up this year and hasn’t been able to adjust to the majors quite yet, but it’s also only been 11 at- bats.
The knock on Murray is simply the lack of light tower power that is required from a corner infielder (or outfielder), and doesn’t have any other particularly high level tools. Unlike Luciano, Murray has been a system player, never cracking any top prospect lists and being regarded as much more of a long-shot to becoming a high-performing major leaguer.
Sounds like a Rays pickup to me.
The RBLR Rays Roundtable is a weekly collection of analysis, insight, and perspectives from a cast of writers assembled because of their unique backgrounds and experience. Check this space weekly for new updates and features covering the Tampa Bay Rays, the Rays’ minor league prospects, and more!
