Week 17 of the Tampa Bay Rays’ 2026 minor league roundup arrived with the system’s hierarchy looking a little different at the top. FanGraphs now has Theo Gillen ahead of Caden Bodine in the organization, with Gillen sitting 4th overall among all minor league prospects and Bodine 16th.
On the pitching side, Jacob Kisting is out of the picture after being included in the deal to land Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins, which leaves Aidan Cremarosa as the default top arm in the system even though he’s currently on the IL. FanGraphs has Cremarosa 590th among all minor leaguers this year.
At Durham, the offense has leaned on Blake Sabol and a few others to keep things moving. Sabol leads the club in batting average at .260, slugging at .420, and wRC+ at 94, while Logan Davidson tops the team in on-base percentage at .336. Carson Williams has the most home runs with 11, and Homer Bush Jr. leads the way on the bases with 27 stolen bags.
Montgomery has been powered by Austin Overn’s big season. He’s leading the Biscuits in average at .311, on-base percentage at .394, slugging at .570, wRC+ at 151, and steals with 48.
Xavier Isaac is tied with him for the team OBP lead at .394. On the pitching side, Chris Clark has been the stabilizer, pacing the staff in ERA at 3.59, FIP at 4.49, and WHIP at 1.09.
Jackson Baumeister has been the strikeout weapon, posting a 28.4% K rate, a .209 average against, and a 14.9% whiff rate, while Santiago Suarez owns the best walk rate at 2.8%. Will Simpson has supplied the pop with 20 homers.
Bowling Green has gotten a monster offensive year from Connor Hujsak. He leads the Hot Rods in average at .298, slugging at .590, and home runs with 25.
Ryan McCoy has been just as important in getting on base, leading the team with a .435 OBP and a 157 wRC+. Tony Santa Maria has been the main threat on the bases with 42 stolen bases.
Charleston’s lineup has been headlined by Brady Marget, who owns team leads in batting average at .354, OBP at .457, slugging at .513, and wRC+ at 164. Cooper Flemming has provided the power with nine home runs, while Alberth Palma leads the team in stolen bases with 32.
The individual prospect lines add a little more texture to the picture. Cooper Flemming, ranked No. 6, is hitting .297/.390/.453 with a 16.0 K%, 11.5 BB%, nine home runs, 13 steals, and a 131 wRC+ across 401 plate appearances.
Taitn Gray, No. 7, has a .269/.385/.443 line with a 23.9 K%, 15.1 BB%, six homers, four steals, and a 126 wRC+ in 205 plate appearances. He also posted a .333/.400/.611 line in CPX over 20 plate appearances, and on 6/1 he was placed on the 7-day IL before beginning a rehab assignment on 7/14.
Daniel Pierce, ranked No. 9, has put up a .252/.336/.390 line with a 28.6 K%, 7.9 BB%, four home runs, six steals, and a 101 wRC+ in 140 plate appearances.
In Other News...
Rays Suddenly Face An Infield Question After Ben Williamson's Exit
The Rays suddenly have a new infield question after Ben Williamson exited Wednesdays game against the Rockies with a right hamstring injury. Williamson was hurt while running to first base, and the club has options on hand to cover second base for the moment, but the timing makes the situation worth watching closely.
Williamson is expected to undergo imaging to help clarify the diagnosis before the Rays open their series in Seattle, and a stint on the injured list is still on the table. For a team that has tried to stay nimble with its roster all season, the bigger issue now is how long it may have to manage without another infield piece. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Move On From Craig Kimbrel As Bullpen Questions Grow
Craig Kimbrels brief run with the Rays ended with the veteran reliever clearing waivers and electing free agency, another sign of how quickly the late-inning picture has shifted in Tampa Bay. After joining the club as a midseason addition, Kimbrel gave the Rays a proven bullpen name, but the results never quite matched the track record that once made him one of the sports most feared closers.
Across his time with the Mets and Rays this season, Kimbrel has posted a 4.81 ERA over 33 2/3 innings, leaving him searching for a fresh opportunity after the trade deadline. For the Rays, his departure adds another layer to a bullpen that already has more questions than answers, and the front office now has to keep sorting through the relief mix while trying to stabilize the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Just Made The Kind Of Move Their Fans Love
The Rays addressed one of their clearest roster needs by landing catcher Liam Hicks from the Marlins, a move that fits right into the franchises long-running preference for affordable, controllable talent. Tampa Bay sent Brayden Taylor, Jacob Kisting and Adrian Santana to Miami to complete the deal, but the appeal for the Rays is obvious: Hicks arrives with years of team control and a chance to stabilize a catching group that had been a weakness.
For a club that often has to make every roster dollar count, this is the kind of transaction Rays fans have come to appreciate. It is not just about filling a hole, but about doing it in a way that could help beyond the immediate season, and the expectation is that Hicks can give Tampa Bay a real upgrade behind the plate while keeping the organizations long-term flexibility intact. [Read more 🡒]