Williams, Caminero offer window to Rays' bright future

This story was excerpted from the Rays Beat newsletter, which was written this week by Brian Murphy. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

You didn’t need a crystal ball to see into the Rays’ future on Friday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

It was right there in the flesh, standing side by side on the left half of the infield.

At third base, Junior Caminero, the club’s 22-year-old former top prospect who is already one of the game’s premier sluggers. At shortstop, Carson Williams, the club’s 22-year-old current top prospect who possesses a rare blend of power, speed and elite defense.

Both arrived in the organization in 2021 -- Williams was the 28th overall pick in the Draft that July, and Caminero was acquired in a November trade with Cleveland. They rose up through Tampa Bay’s system together, sharing Minor League fields since their days at Single-A Charleston in 2022.

Now they were on the same big league field together, and you couldn’t help but think of the possibilities.

“The word that comes to mind is ‘some damage,’” Williams said when asked before Friday’s game what he and Caminero could accomplish together. “I feel like we could do some damage together on both sides of the ball.”

Damage was indeed inflicted Friday, Williams’ MLB debut, as both youngsters homered during a win over the Cardinals. Caminero called the game a “dream come true.”

“We were two kids that dreamed of [playing together in the Majors], and everything came to a realization today,” Caminero said via team interpreter Eddie Rodriguez.

Williams described Caminero, who is 10 days younger, as a role model because of how fast he ascended through the Minors. He played in his first Major League game only 22 months after that trade.

“It was admirable to see him just kind of exceed expectations and kind of just go up super quick,” Williams said. “Getting to the big league level, it seemed like he adjusted really nicely and has only gotten better since then. I admire his work and how he's kind of come to his stardom.”

When Williams found out he was going to The Show, his role model was quick to offer some words of wisdom, both on Thursday when his call-up became official and before Friday’s game.

“I spoke to him and I told him this is the same game,” Caminero said. “I went through it, too. I was just giving him advice that this was just another game, and you see what happened.”

In their second game together, Caminero crushed a grand slam, and Williams had a double, scored twice and picked up his first stolen base in the bigs, showing off the speed that helped him notch 20-20 seasons in the Minors each year from 2023-25.

And in Monday's 9-0 win over the Guardians, Caminero went 4-for-5 with two homers, while Williams was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.

But maybe we shouldn’t get used to this dynamic duo just yet. Williams’ first stint with the Rays may be a short one since shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (low back inflammation) could come off the injured list before the end of this month. Infielder Taylor Walls (left groin strain) may rejoin the club in September, too.

When manager Kevin Cash was asked about having Caminero and Williams on the same infield, he noted that they are two very different players right now. The former is already an All-Star; the latter just got here.

“I try not to dream too far out,” Cash said, “because I think that in a way, that's unfair pressure to [Williams].”

But this past weekend gave Rays fans good reason to dream on what the left side of this infield could look like for many years.

“If things go the right way, they could be the cornerstone of those two positions,” veteran second baseman Brandon Lowe said. “... It’s very exciting for the future to come.”