Pirates acquire Alika Williams from Tampa Bay Rays

The Pittsburgh Pirates today acquired infielder Alika Williams (pronounced a-LEEK-uh) from the Tampa Bay Rays organization in exchange for right-handed pitcher Robert Stephenson. Williams has been assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis.

The 24-year-old Williams was hitting .237 (37-for-156) with 11 doubles, one triple, five home runs, and 23 RBI in 42 games with Double-A Montgomery at the time he was acquired by Pittsburgh. Williams received a 65 grade in fielding in MLB Pipeline’s August, 2022, rankings for the Rays organization.

Tampa Bay selected Williams 37th overall in the Competitive Balance A round of the 2020 First-Year Player out of Arizona State University. He attended Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego where he was teammates with Cal Mitchell.

The right-handed hitting Williams has a .254 career average (209-for-824) with 39 doubles, four triples, 20 home runs and 131 RBI in 211 games in the minor leagues since making his professional debut in 2021. He has also made 174 appearances (172 starts) and 29 appearances (28 starts) at second base in his minor league career.

To fill Stephenson’s spot on the 26-man roster, INF Mark Mathias has been recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. The 40-man roster is now at 37.