Taylor Walls Injury: Could begin season as top shortstop

Walls (sports hernia) appears to be in position to begin the season as Tampa Bay's top shortstop, per Adam Berry of MLB.com.

With spring training on the horizon, Walls is set to compete primarily with top prospect Carson Williams for everyday reps at shortstop. Walls is coming off sports hernia surgery, which ended his 2025 campaign in August, so he'll need to prove he's healthy during Grapefruit League play as well. Even in a potential full-time role, the switch-hitting infielder could struggle for fantasy relevance after slashing just .220/.280/.319 with four home runs, 38 RBI, 36 runs scored and 14 stolen bases across 317 regular-season plate appearances (101 games) last year.