Rays Reveal Opening Day Fate of Carson Williams, Jacob Melton
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With spring training nearing an end, the Tampa Bay Rays have continued making cuts from camp, paring down the roster in preparation for the start of the regular season.
The early round of cuts didn’t include any surprises, but the most recent roster decision will raise a few eyebrows. As shared by Rays’ sideline reporter Ryan Bass, two of the team’s top prospects aren’t going to be part of the Opening Day roster.
The team has announced that shortstop Carson Williams and outfielder Jacob Melton have been optioned to Triple-A camp, meaning they will begin the season with the Triple-A Durham Bulls.
Both players were in the mix to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster, but the front office and coaching staff decided that it would be better if they started the year in the minor leagues, receiving consistent playing time.
Rays demote Jacob Melton, Carson Williams
Based on those roster moves, it is fair to assume that Taylor Walls will be the starting shortstop on Opening Day for Kevin Cash. Notoriously light-hitting in his MLB career, he performed well at the plate this spring with a .294/.400/.471 slash line in 20 plate appearances.
Williams certainly didn’t make the decision an easy one with how well he has hit in camp. He had a .364/.375/.455 slash line across 24 plate appearances with two doubles. His 20.8% strikeout rate is also incredibly encouraging based on how bad his percentage has been previously.
Melton being demoted likely came down to a numbers game and some repetitiveness on the roster.
The projected starting outfield for Tampa Bay right now is all left-handed hitters: Jake Fraley, Cedric Mullins and Chandler Simpson. Johnny DeLuca and Ryan Vilade, who are both right-handed hitters, help round out and balance the positional group off the bench.
#Rays SS Carson Williams and OF Jacob Melton, who were both in contention to make the Opening Day roster, have been optioned to AAA camp and will begin the season with @DurhamBulls.
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) March 17, 2026
Both are key pieces to the Rays future and figure to be up with the big-league club at some point…
Unless Melton played at a level during camp that justified him being a starter, his odds of making the roster were low. Unfortunately, his level of performance made the decision to send him to Triple-A an easy one.
The young slugging outfielder had a slash line of .143/.200/.393 in 30 plate appearances. The only encouraging part of his performance was that three of his four hits were for extra bases: two home runs and one double.
As Bass noted, it is likely only a matter of time until Williams and Melton are called up to the Big Leagues. Should the team need a spark or an injury occurs, either youngster should be given an extended opportunity to play.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.