Pirates trade Robert Stephenson to Rays for INF prospect Alika Williams


PITTSBURGH — The Pirates on Friday traded reliever Robert Stephenson to the Rays for minor-league infielder Alika Williams, major-league sources confirmed to The Athletic.

In 42 games with Double-A Montgomery, Williams, 24, batted .237/.314/.417 with five home runs. A first-round pick in 2020 out of Arizona State, Williams can play shortstop and second base.

Stephenson, 30, recorded a 5.14 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP in 18 outings this season. He missed the start of spring training because of a sore elbow and began the season on the injured list.

What does this mean for the Pirates?

Williams is a plus defender who was mired in a logjam of shortstops with the Rays. He’s a contact hitter but has a 20 percent strikeout rate and doesn’t drive the ball with much authority.

Infielder Mark Mathias was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, and Williams was assigned to Indy.

Meanwhile, Double-A Altoona is desperately short of infielders. Andrés Alvarez is out after accidentally slicing his finger with a kitchen knife, Drew Maggi is serving a three-game suspension and Domingo Leyba returned to the IL on Thursday. Matt Gorski, a natural center fielder, made his first pro start at second base Thursday night in the Curve’s 9-8 win against Binghamton.

When Altoona gets back to full strength, shortstop Liover Peguero might be due for a promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis. Peguero, the Pirates’ No. 8 prospect according to The Athletic’s Keith Law, is batting .256/.337/.403.

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Over the past couple of weeks, Peguero has been stinging the ball. “They haven’t started dropping yet, but they will soon,” Peguero said with a grin.

What does this mean for the Rays?

Tampa Bay needs bullpen help in a big way. Over the past month, the Rays’ relief corps logged the highest ERA (6.08), the second-highest xFIP (4.94) and the worst K/BB rate (1.80) in the majors.

Stephenson has swing-and-miss stuff. After being claimed off waivers from the Rockies last August, he averaged 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings with the Pirates. However, he’s allowed 1.9 home runs per nine innings this season and there are questions about his durability.

Required reading

(Photo of Robert Stephenson: Charles LeClaire / USA Today) 

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Read More: Pirates trade Robert Stephenson to Rays for INF prospect Alika Williams 2023-06-02 18:06:57

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