3 Rays Players Who Disappointed the Most in May

The Tampa Bay Rays continue to be near the top of the standings with a 36-21 record, but they have hit a bit of a rough patch recently.

This is the first real adversity the team has faced, losing six out of their last eight games played. Injuries are seemingly catching up to the team, as they are digging deep into their depth chart for position players and pitchers.

That has led to some uneven performances and a few players being thrust into bigger roles that they have not yet succeeded in. While the Rays had multiple people excel during May, there were some who fell short of expectations as well.

Here are three Rays who disappointed the most last month.

Hunter Bigge

May started hot for Hunter Bigge. He didn’t allow a run in his first five appearances and 7.2 innings pitched with seven strikeouts and only one walk. But he ran out of steam near the end of the month.

Over his last five appearances, he surrendered multiple runs three times. A true implosion occurred against the Miami Marlins in a 10-5 extra innings loss when he gave up eight runs in the 10th inning.

Bigge blew a save against the Baltimore Orioles on May 25 and gave up three runs without recording an out against the Los Angeles Angels on May 29 for his final appearance of the month.

Jonny DeLuca/Jake Fraley

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca (21) steals second base. — May 2, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca (21) steals second base during the third inning against San Francisco Giants at Tropicana Field. | Pablo Robles-Imagn Images

It isn’t so much that Jonny DeLuca and Jake Fraley did anything wrong when on the field. But they landed on this list because there weren’t any hitters who truly stood out for their underwhelming performance, and for the unfortunate injuries they suffered.

Both are significant losses, pushing Tampa Bay deeper into their depth chart and having manager Kevin Cash have to mix and match more. With them sidelined, Ryan Vilade and Victor Mesa Jr. are going to receive more opportunities alongside Chandler Simpson and Cedric Mullins, who are locked into everyday roles.

Carson Williams

The Rays’ No. 1-ranked prospect coming into the year had a golden opportunity as the Opening Day shortstop with Taylor Walls injured. Carson Williams failed to seize the opportunity and was sent back to Triple-A Durham.

When injuries occurred, he was promoted back to the Big Leagues. Walls is healthy and starting, so opportunities were scarce, but Williams didn’t do anything to force Cash’s hand to be in the lineup more often.

He went hitless in seven at-bats, but he did provide a spark with his base running. Alas, the franchise has much bigger goals for Williams to achieve than becoming an ace pinch runner.

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