The Rays are still chasing the Yankees in the AL East, but their shortstop picture has become one of the uglier parts of the roster as the regular season winds down.
Tampa Bay enters Wednesday morning with a four-game cushion over New York, and the club is pushing toward the postseason with fewer than three weeks left. Even so, the shortstop spot is suddenly thin. Taylor Walls is on the 10-day IL with a hip flexor strain, and the Rays brought up veteran Nick Madrigal from Triple-A to help cover the infield.
Walls has been the primary option when healthy, but the bat has never matched the glove. Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter pointed to that imbalance and questioned whether Tampa Bay should look for a different answer.
"The Rays continue to use glove-first Taylor Walls as their primary shortstop, as he has made 109 starts at the position, despite hitting a punchless .218/.304/.292 on the year," Reuter wrote. "Former top prospect Carson Williams has had three separate stints on the big league roster this year, going a combined 4-for-37 with 13 strikeouts."
The Rays also added Mateo in August after he was released by the Atlanta Braves. He brings elite speed and solid-to-below-average range in the field.
For now, Tampa Bay can get through the next few weeks without Walls. Longer term, though, the organization may want to hunt for a better hitter at shortstop this offseason. That kind of upgrade would only make the lineup more dangerous.
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