Walls activated from IL -- and Rays pitchers 'happy to have him back'

ST. PETERSBURG -- Taylor Walls is back in the Rays’ lineup sooner than even he initially expected.

The Rays activated their slick-fielding shortstop from the 10-day injured list prior to Thursday’s series finale versus the A’s at Tropicana Field. Twelve days prior, Walls sustained a right hip flexor strain, which he likened to “a pop or a bomb going off” in his hip.

Walls couldn’t pick his leg up to get out of bed the next day. At that point, he thought that it would be tough for him to be 100% healthy before the start of the postseason. But he started seeing progress two days post-injury. His activity level ramped up quickly. And now, with the playoffs a little less than two weeks away, Walls is healthy, in Tampa Bay’s starting lineup and batting ninth at his customary position.

“I felt like we've done a great job of just recovering, throwing a lot of things at it, seeing how I respond, and keeping those things in rotation that I respond well to,” Walls said. “Considering what I felt at the time and how I woke up the next day, to think that I'd be back in 10, 11 days, I would say that was probably a long shot in my head.”

If there’s anyone happier about Walls’ quick return, it’s the Rays pitchers who love having his standout defense up the middle. Although Walls’ play in the field is rated as below average by Statcast (minus-3 outs above average, minus-3 fielding run value), his 20 defensive runs saved through 117 games this year are tied for the third-most in MLB. Walls’ 2.7 defensive WAR, per Baseball Reference, is tied with Milwaukee’s Brice Turang for the best in the big leagues.

“It just seems like the ball -- he's always there,” left-hander Ian Seymour said. “It's by design on his part. But from my point of view, it's like, how is he there?

“Sometimes I'll watch just what he's doing instead of the pitcher in the game, and he's moving at all times. It's a talent I don't think anyone else in baseball has. So we're happy to have him back.”

That appreciation for Walls’ glove skills along with his plus baserunning exists throughout the Rays’ roster. He won’t gain many plaudits for what he does at the plate (career 67 OPS+), but the 30-year-old hopes that fans on the outside know that a player’s value can extend far beyond the batter’s box.

“That is important,” he said. “I think not necessarily for myself, but I just think in general that there's a lot of really good players that this game has that maybe don't hit the long ball or do something offensively every night that wows you that can change a game.”