Carson Williams, SS, Rays: Williams has had a week to remember. The Rays shortstop was optioned to the minors on Tuesday, seemingly ending his hopes of making the Opening Day roster. But two days later, Taylor Walls was diagnosed with an oblique strain that will sideline him for several weeks. That re-opened the possibility that Williams could be the team's shortstop, as the other options are Ben Williamson or finding an outside replacement.

Given a second chance, Williams his his first home run of the spring on Sunday with a long 107.2 mph blast off Louis Varland.

Williams is hitting .300/.313/.467 this spring. He's cut his strikeout rate this spring to a very acceptable 21.9%, showing hints that he could be ready for the big league job, now that he's gotten another chance to claim it.

Moises Ballesteros, C, Cubs: Ballesteros learned this weekend that he's going to be on the Opening Day roster. To celebrate, he went out and picked up two doubles, going 2-for-3 on Sunday. While it was an impressive day, Ballesteros did get some help. His first of the two doubles was a high pop fly to left field, but Jacob Hurtubise lost the ball in the sun, turning a simple fly out into an RBI double.

The next was a more conventional RBI double. Ballesteros lined a sinker to the left field wall to drive in a run. Ballesteros is hitting .359/.419/.641 this spring. He's shown an improved batting eye and has made consistent hard contact while drawing almost as many walks (4) as strikeouts (5). With Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya set to make the team, Ballesteros' primary role will be as a DH, but the Cubs have gotten him consistent work at catcher this spring.

Chase DeLauter, OF, Guardians: Few prospects have had a better spring than DeLauter. He has stayed healthy this spring, which is the most important development for a toolsy outfielder with a never-ending litany of injuries that have kept him from getting regular playing time. And given a chance to stay in the lineup most every day, DeLauter has responded by hitting .429/.500/.657 with a 10% strikeout rate. On Sunday, DeLauter went 2-for-2 with a walk, a double and two RBIs. He has a hit in 11 of his 13 games this spring, and he's reached base in 12 of 13 games.

Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, D-backs: He's not going to make the Opening Day roster, but D-backs outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt has posted a pretty good marker that he'll be there before too long. Waldschmidt was 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored on Sunday. It added to his .302/.333/.488 spring. His 12 strikeouts and 26.7% strikeout rate offer a useful to-do list for his tune-up in the minors, but Waldschmidt has shown gap power with five doubles in just 13 games.

Nathan Church, OF, Cardinals: After getting a late-season call-up in 2025, Church keeps showing why he's worth keeping around. Church went 1-for-4 with a double on Sunday. It was hit fifth double of the spring, and he's now hitting .289/.413/.447. Church doesn't blister baseballs, but he grinds out solid at-bats, and he's able to play all three outfield spots, swipe a bag and make life miserable for pitchers, as he rarely strikes out. The lefthanded hitter seems like a useful fit for a Cardinals team that is trying to make the roster younger. Church looks like a useful back-up outfielder who could carve out a larger role at some point this year.

Editor’s Picks

Spring Breakout Top Performances: The results are in. Baseball America had a staffer at every Spring Breakout game this weekend. Here are the best hitters, pitchers and Statcast standouts we saw. Read more…

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

Each day, we’ll pick a prospect that has our attention.

Jose Fernandez, SS, D-backs: Fernandez has spent the entire spring as hot as the Arizona sun, and he continued his tear through any and all comers in his team’s Breakout tilt against the Rockies. He went 3-for-3 in the game, including a two-run triple to one of the deepest parts of Salt River Fields. Fernandez was featured in our latest Arizona Backfields Intel last week.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

Here are some notable prospects expected to crack Opening Day rosters:

• Didier Fuentes, Braves

• Brandon Sproat, Brewers

• Parker Messick, Guardians

• Justin Crawford, Phillies

• Andrew Painter, Phillies

And some prospects who were reassigned to minor league camp over the weekend:

• Konnor Griffin, Pirates

• Jhostynxon Garcia, Pirates

• Colt Emerson, Mariners

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