Williams signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Thursday.
Once the lockout ends along with the moratorium on signing players to MLB deals, the Phillies are expected to make addressing their outfield as a priority, as Bryce Harper stands as the only established option on the 40-man roster. Based on how the position group currently looks, however, Williams might be a viable candidate to make the Phillies' Opening Day roster as a depth outfielder. The 26-year-old saw action in 55 games over the 2018, 2020 and 2021 seasons, though he slashed a lowly .160/.271/.256 while striking out in one-third of his 144 plate appearances.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Outrighted off 40-man roster
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Williams was outrighted to Triple-A Memphis on Friday.
Williams spent the final two months of the season on the injured list with a shoulder issue at Triple-A, though until now he remained on the Cardinals 40-man roster. The 26-year-old appeared in 51 games for St. Louis during the first half and hit .160/.270/.261 in 137 plate appearances.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Shut down with hamstring injury
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Triple-A Memphis placed Williams on its 7-day injured list Monday due to a hamstring strain, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Williams hasn't appeared in game for Memphis since July 2, so he's presumably been nursing the injury for the past month before the affiliate decided to deactivate him. Memphis called up corner-outfield prospect Alec Burleson from Double-A Springfield to fill Williams' spot on the roster. Over 16 games with Memphis this season, Williams is slashing .250/.276/.446 with three home runs and one stolen base.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Activated and optioned
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Williams (neck) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Friday.
Williams will wind up missing just shy of two weeks due to neck stiffness, but there's no roster spot available for him now that he's healthy. He didn't exactly do much to earn a roster spot prior to the injury, hitting just .160/.270/.261 in 51 games.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Singles in first rehab game
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Williams (neck) went 1-for-2 with an RBI single in Triple-A Memphis' win over Gwinnett on Saturday.
The recovering outfielder started and played the first four innings in right field before being subbed out. Williams is slated to put in at least one more rehab game with Memphis on Sunday before possibly being activated from the injured list when first eligible Monday.
Williams (neck) resumed baseball activities Wednesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Williams has been on the injured list with neck stiffness since Saturday, but he was working in the outfield ahead of Wednesday's matchup against Cleveland. The 25-year-old will likely need to ramp up his activities before he's able to return to game action, but his participation in pregame activities is a step in the right direction.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Lands on injured list
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Williams was placed on the 10-day injured list due to neck stiffness Saturday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Williams was on the bench in each of the last two games, and he's apparently dealing with an injury that will force him to miss additional time. It's not yet clear whether he'll need to spend more than the minimum of 10 days on the shelf, but John Nogowski was recalled by the Cardinals as part of a corresponding move.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Rare success at plate
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Williams went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in a loss to the Dodgers on Monday.
The 25-year-old closed out May the same way he began it, leaving the yard for his fifth homer of the season overall. The round tripper was Williams' first since May 1, and the drought his multi-hit effort snapped was even longer -- he hadn't notched more than one hit in a game since April 19, a span of 32 contests.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Not starting Tuesday
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Williams is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.
Williams will sit Tuesday despite the Cardinals being without both Tyler O'Neill (finger) and Harrison Bader (ribs). Lane Thomas will get the start in left field for the St. Louis, with Tommy Edman moving from second base to right field.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Draws second straight start
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Williams will start in left field and bat seventh Wednesday against the Pirates, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.
Williams will cover left field for the second straight day, and he could at least be a strong-side platoon option at the position until Tyler O'Neill (finger) returns from the 10-day injured list. Through his 97 plate appearances on the season, the 25-year-old Williams is slashing .169/.289/.277 with three home runs and a 13.5 percent walk rate.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Sits in third straight
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Williams is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.
Harrison Bader's return from the 10-day injured list Thursday has resulted in Williams' run of regular playing time coming to an end. Williams will be on the bench for a third straight game to close out the weekend, and he looks like he'll be relegated to a fourth-outfielder role moving forward.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Smacks second homer
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Williams went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Monday's 12-5 win over the Nationals.
His fifth-inning blast was one of five homers by the Cards on the night -- and the only one not hit off Joe Ross. Williams is getting consistent playing time with Tyler O'Neill (groin) and Harrison Bader (forearm) on the shelf, and he's been thriving, going 7-for-21 (.333) over the last seven games with his first two career homers, four runs and six RBI. O'Neill could be back as soon as this weekend, but Williams is making a strong case to remain in the lineup.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Hits first career home run
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Williams went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Friday's loss to the Phillies.
Williams has served as the starting left fielder in each of the past four games with Tyler O'Neill (groin) and Harrison Bader (forearm) sidelined. He put the Cardinals on the board in the eighth inning of Friday's contest with a two-run blast, which was the first home run of his career. The 25-year-old should continue to see increased time in the starting lineup while O'Neill and Bader remain out.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Drives in three
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Williams went 2-for-4 with a walk, three RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's win over the Nationals.
Williams has earned inconsistent playing time early on this season, but he'll be relied upon more in the absence of both Tyler O'Neill (groin) and Harrison Bader (forearm). He delivered Tuesday, recording his first multi-hit game of the season and also driving in his first runs of the campaign. Though Williams started the season 0-for-10 at the plate, he's since collected at least one hit in four of six appearances, improving his on-base percentage to .321.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: To help during O'Neill's absence
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Williams is expected to split playing time with Austin Dean in left field during Tyler O'Neill's (groin) stint on the injured list, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.
Williams started Monday's game against the Nationals in left field for the first time this season after making his other seven appearances in right field. The 25-year-old entered Monday's start with a .111/.200/.111 line and seven strikeouts across 20 plate appearances, however, so he'll naturally have to boost his production at the plate to continue seeing an appreciable amount of playing time in that split with Dean.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Benched again
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Williams is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Williams is on the bench for a second straight day against a right-handed pitcher, signaling that he may have surrendered his strong-side platoon role in right field following an 0-for-10 start to the season. Tommy Edman will shift from second base to right field, opening up the keystone for Matt Carpenter for the second game in a row.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Sitting versus righty
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Williams is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Marlins, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.
After sitting out against lefty Trevor Rogers in Monday's series opener, Williams will now remain on the bench against a right-hander (Sandy Alcantara) on Tuesday. The Cardinals won't have usual platoon mate Austin Dean replace Williams in right field; instead, Tommy Edman will get a turn in the outfield to open up a start at second base for Matt Carpenter.
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Cardinals' Justin Williams: Takes seat Monday
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Williams is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
With a lefty (Trevor Rogers) on the bump for Miami, Williams will take a seat in favor of platoon mate Austin Dean. Williams went hitless with five strikeouts in nine at-bats while starting all three games of the Cardinals' season-opening series in Cincinnati.
Williams went 0-for-4 while starting in right field and batting eighth Thursday against the Reds.
Williams made both the roster and starting lineup to begin the season with Harrison Bader (forearm) sidelined. He figures to start regularly against right-handed pitching early on, but he could lose playing time to Austin Dean or John Nogowski if he fails to produce.
