First, he considered how he’d miss Wendle and how much he appreciated everything the popular infielder had done for him. Wendle helped Walls acclimate to life in the Majors, showed him the ropes throughout his rookie season and served as a sounding board during their infield drills together. Then came another idea.
“It was next man up,” Walls said. “I knew that, as soon as that happened, that could be the role that I was potentially going to play this year.”
Indeed, with Wendle gone and Wander Franco in place as the everyday shortstop, Walls is set to play the key role of do-it-all infielder in his second season with the Rays. Walls is likely to see a lot of time at third base and some at second, like Wendle last year, plus whatever time Franco leaves available at shortstop.
If that sounds like a utility role for Walls, it is. But it is not a lesser job, certainly not with the Rays. Wendle platooned at third base, bounced around the middle infield and still wound up…