IL Placements: Williamson, Cecconi, Wilcox

Catching up on a few injured list placements from Friday…

• The Rays placed infielder Ben Williamson on the 10-day IL (retroactive to August 6) due to a right hamstring strain, as Carson Williams was called up from Triple-A to join the 26-man roster.  Manager Kevin Cash told the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin and other reporters that Williamson “miss some significant time,” and while Cash “wouldn’t rule…out” Williamson being activated before the end of the regular season, it’s obviously not great for the infielder that the rest of his 2026 campaign is now in question.  Acquired from the Mariners this past winter as part of a three-team trade with the Cardinals, Williamson has been a regular part of Tampa’s middle infield mix, with a handful of games also at third base.  Williamson is hitting .247/.309/.332 over 270 plate appearances, which about matches his career slash line over his 565 PA in his two seasons in the majors.
• The Guardians placed Slade Cecconi on the 15-day IL due to right arm fatigue, and right-hander Franco Aleman was called up from Triple-A Columbus in the corresponding move.  After posting a 4.78 ERA over 107 1/3 innings and 21 starts for Cleveland, Cecconi was moved to the bullpen after the Guards acquired Foster Griffin at the deadline, and Cecconi was then tagged for five earned runs in 2 2/3 innings over his first two relief outings.  Guardians manager Stephen Vogt told MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins and other reporters that coming out of the pen twice in a three-game span likely contributed to Cecconi’s sore arm, though an MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage.
• The Mariners placed right-hander Cole Wilcox on the 15-day IL on Friday, and fellow righty Nick Davila was called up from Triple-A.  Wilcox picked up a left oblique strain in his last outing on Thursday, as he left the mound after grabbing at his side in obvious discomfort during a seventh-inning at-bat against Colt Keith.  Given the nature of oblique strains, Wilcox may also be facing a season-ending injury depending on the severity.  Wilcox made his MLB debut with one game for the Rays in 2025, and after an offseason trade to Seattle, the righty has a 4.00 ERA, 22.8% strikeout rate, and 13.8% walk rate over 27 relief innings for the M’s this year.