SEATTLE -- Rays right-hander starter Griffin Jax and shortstop Taylor Walls were both scratched from the lineup Saturday just before Tampa Bay’s second game against the Mariners.
Jax felt right elbow discomfort and Walls lower back tightness.
Right-hander Casey Legumina got the nod in place of Jax and recent callup and former first-round pick Carson Williams started at short and batted ninth.
Jax was on a solid streak heading into Saturday. In his last three games, over 16 2/3 innings, he’s allowed six runs (three earned) along with 23 strikeouts.
Legumina got the start versus his former team. He was traded from the Mariners in April in exchange for Ty Cummings.
Legumina last pitched in the Rays’ 9-7 win over the Rockies on Tuesday, throwing two innings, allowing no hits or runs and one strikeout. Over the season, he carried a 4.28 ERA over 48 1/3 innings. He hasn’t pitched more than two innings in a game all season.
Williams, who made his debut in August 2025, started the season on the Opening Day roster because of Walls’ injury, but was sent down to Triple-A after 12 games. In that short stint, he hit .100.
He was called up from Triple-A Durham after infielder Ben Williamson injured his hamstring and was placed on the 10-day injured list.
This is the versatility the Rays want out of Williams.
“I really, really want to help them out on defense and whatever job they need to fill while I’m up here,” he said Friday.
Walls, one of the better defensive shortstops in MLB, with 15 defensive runs saved, is slashing .212/.305/.277.