Walls aiming to affirm Rays' belief in him, play big role in '25

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- In the fifth inning of the Rays’ 8-2 win over the Red Sox at JetBlue Park on Wednesday afternoon, Taylor Walls came to the plate with a plan.

He was going to try to bunt, no matter what.

"I was doing it until I struck out,” Walls said, smiling. “[Even down] 0-2, I'm still bunting.”

It turned out to be the perfect situation for him to practice that play. With two outs and runners on the corners, Walls dropped a bunt on the first pitch he saw from Red Sox right-hander Jose Adames and dashed safely to first base as Christopher Morel crossed the plate.

Walls’ bunt aligned well with the Rays’ spring focus on advancing runners and having unselfish at-bats, but it was also an example of the approach he’s taking into the season in pursuit of adding more offensive production to his stellar defensive play.

“I've always trusted my ability to see the ball and stay in the zone and not really chase that much,” he said. “So, just trying to put [the] bat to [the] ball, especially earlier in counts, and give myself a chance to get on base and move guys over is kind of what it all boils down to.”

After parts of four seasons in the Majors, Walls owns a .188/.288/.293 slash line, a significant drop-off from his production at Florida State (.284/.426/.400) and in the Minors (.273/.368/.424). But the Rays still believe there’s more potential in his bat, due in large part to his pitch recognition and plate discipline.

Walls is determined to reward their faith.

“They've believed in me since Day 1. You could even argue at the amount of opportunity I've had,” he said. “Granted, on the defensive side, I've proven myself to be here. But offensively, I haven't really given them much to grab onto. And for them to believe in me, year in and year out -- they know, I know, [and] I think everybody in this clubhouse knows it's just a matter of being consistent, doing what you do well and staying within yourself.”

Walls is set to return as Tampa Bay’s starting shortstop to begin the season, but how long he will hold that title is unclear. The Rays signed Ha-Seong Kim, and will pay him a team-high $13 million this season, with the idea that Kim will take over at shortstop when he recovers from right shoulder surgery.

As the roster currently stands, Kim’s return would likely shift Walls into a utility-infield role. Of course, anything could happen in the month or two that Kim is expected to miss: setbacks, injuries, trades, underperformance, etc. And right now, the job belongs to Walls.

“He's proven that he is really special defensively. Really encouraged by what he's done offensively here early on, the at-bats, the quality to them,” manager Kevin Cash said. “I think Walls has always been and shown a very team-oriented approach, and I see him being a huge part of our team.”

Walls said he was excited about the addition of Kim, an “unbelievable player” and someone he’s admired from afar for years. And he understands that what he does is all he can control while Kim is working his way back.

“It's up to me to prove, to myself and to the team, what my role is going to be from whenever he comes back,” Walls said. “We're all here to go try to win a division, try to win a World Series at the end of it. So I'm happy he's here. He's a hell of a player. I'm excited to play with him.”

Around the horn

? Infielder Curtis Mead is 8-for-9 to begin Grapefruit League play, reaping early benefits after spending so much time in his home gym this offseason. On Wednesday, he launched a homer over JetBlue Park’s Green Monster and smacked an opposite-field single.

“I managed to sneak a few over [the wall] in batting practice, and I remember thinking to myself, 'It'd be pretty cool if I got one today,’” Mead said.

? Left-hander Ian Seymour, added to Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster in November, retired six of the seven batters he faced and struck out Jarren Duran and Alex Bregman in his first outing of the spring.

“That's definitely the most established hitters I've faced in my career, so it's fun to sort of see how my stuff played against them and just feel good,” Seymour said.

? Third baseman Junior Caminero ripped a bases-clearing triple in the fifth inning. After dealing with two leg injuries last season, part of his offseason work involved improving his running form, and it looked smoother as he rounded the bases.