With the news that Gavin Lux has had another setback in his recovery from several injuries to begin the 2026 season, the Rays will be without their anticipated second baseman for the foreseeable future. This is unfortunate for Lux as he’s in a contract year and his injuries will almost certainly impact his earning potential in 2027. The Rays are still in relatively good shape at second base with Ben Williamson’s continued growth at the position and Richie Palacios settling into a consistent role.
Williamson is maintaining a 101 wRC+ against lefties and Palacios has a 109 wRC+ against righties – together they’ve formed a solid platoon at second base. The Rays production at second by wRC+ ranks a respectable 13th in the league.
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Defensively, they each have -2 outs above average and Williamson has 1 defensive run saved while Palacios has none. They’ve also converted 92% of ground balls and line drives hit to them into outs which is league average for the position. They appear to be a roughly average defensive pair in the early part of the season. Given that Williamson is a plus defender at third base and solid at shortstop, I do expect him to be better than average at second base as he gets more reps there.
While the Rays do appear to be fine at second base, I don’t think that will stop them from exploring potential upgrades as the summer goes on. Carson Williams has played a few games at second base since his demotion and could be an interesting internal candidate to play there in the majors if needed. He’s already a plus defender at shortstop, so there’s reason to believe the athleticism would translate similarly to second base. Carson likely offers more upside on both sides of the ball than either Williamson or Palacios. However, he’s still refining his approach to reduce the swing-and-miss – and seeing encouraging results – so consistent playing time in Triple-A may still be best for his development.
There are a couple interesting external candidates if the Rays did decide to make a trade. Funny enough, they’re both former Rays. Brandon Lowe is set to become a free agent after this season and could be a somewhat affordable rental if the Pirates fall out of contention later this summer. He’s been able to stay healthy, there’s still plenty of impact left in his bat, and his defense is still passable.
Another option, although less likely given the cost and positional fit, could be Isaac Paredes. He would likely be more expensive given his extra year of team control, but the former Ray continues to outperform his raw exit velocity data by consistently pulling the ball in the air. He’s been working in at second base this season for the first time in a few years and he seems to be more than capable of holding his own there. Paredes’s data at the position looks solid in a small sample, and the eye test suggests he’s at least passable there:
There are a few other guys having some strong starts that could be available at the deadline, but none of them have the track record comparable to Lowe or Paredes.
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Lux’s on-base ability would still add an important dimension to the lineup if he’s able to return later this season, but the Rays appear reasonably positioned to withstand his absence for now. Williamson and Palacios still look capable of forming a viable second-base platoon for the remainder of the season. Carson Williams could emerge as an internal option if the Rays are willing to give him consistent major-league reps, and a pair of former Rays may also become trade candidates if the organization looks to clear future 40-man roster pressure ahead of the Rule 5 crunch this winter.
