Walls makes speedy return to SS for Rays' home opener; Williams optioned

ST. PETERSBURG -- As the Rays returned to Tropicana Field on Monday, their starting shortstop returned to the lineup.

The Rays reinstated Taylor Walls from the 10-day injured list on Monday morning, and Walls got right into the mix in Tampa Bay’s home opener, starting at shortstop and batting ninth.

To make room for Walls’ activation, the Rays optioned rookie shortstop Carson Williams to Triple-A Durham.

Walls, an AL Gold Glove finalist at shortstop last year, sustained a right oblique strain while working in the batting cage on March 17. That ruled him out for Opening Day, and he said a few days later that he would likely miss a “minimum” of three to four weeks.

But he recovered quicker than expected, and he came back one day shy of the three-week mark. How did he beat even the most optimistic projection?

“Honestly, I have no clue,” Walls said. “Me and the training staff were not necessarily confused, but kind of like, 'Why is this going so well?'”

Walls said he’s been symptom-free for the last two weeks, then he went about checking the boxes necessary to get back on the field. With no physical issues slowing him down and less time off the field than anticipated, he sped through the rehabilitation process. Walls said he’s felt “great” for a week and a half, so he started facing live pitching and working more intensely in the infield.

On Friday, he took part in a Tropicana Field test-run game played between players from the Rays’ and Pirates’ extended spring camps. That was his only game action, but he felt comfortable with the preparation he did in simulated games and with the Trajekt Arc pitching machine in the batting cage.

“It wasn't like I was removed from in-game at-bats or whatever, seeing live pitching for four to six weeks,” he said. “It was more of a 10- to 14-day thing where I hadn't seen pitches, and then at that point I felt like I was pretty comfortable with where I left off in Spring Training.”

Walls is a career .195/.286/.298 hitter over parts of five seasons in the Majors, but he has totaled 9.9 WAR, according to Baseball-Reference, mostly on the strength of his elite defense.

Williams, 22, was off to a 3-for-23 start with a double, three RBIs, nine strikeouts and one error in seven games.

With Walls back and Williams in the Minors, expect Walls to play regularly at shortstop with Ben Williamson still making the occasional start there. Manager Kevin Cash said they will “monitor the workload” of Walls, not wanting to wear him down but understanding the value he provides with his glove.

“Our guys know -- and certainly guys on the mound appreciate -- what he does for us defensively,” Cash said. “He had a ton of at-bats off of some live pitching, some sim games and the machine, so I feel like he's healthy and ready to go.”