Williams did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing one hit and one walk over seven scoreless innings against the Royals. He struck out six.

EDGE Analysis

Williams bounced back from his shaky MLB debut and dominated the Royals. Though he hit a batter and allowed a hit and a walk in the third inning, Williams kept them from crossing the plate and retired 13 straight batters to end the outing. Though his effort didn't result in a win, the start certainly will make for a convincing argument to keep WIlliams in the rotation for at least another go around.

Williams is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday versus the Royals in Kansas City.

EDGE Analysis

As anticipated, Williams will be sticking around for another turn through the rotation after he made his highly anticipated MLB debut this past Wednesday against the Athletics. Though he fell short of a quality start in the outing, he acquitted himself well enough by striking out four over 5.2 innings while allowing four earned runs on four hits and three walks. Cleveland will have some tough decisions to make with its rotation when Cal Quantrill (shoulder) returns from the 15-day injured list, but the Guardians should be willing to make room for Williams as long as his performance warrants sticking around with the big club.

Williams has a 1.13 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 16 innings through three starts for Triple-A Columbus.

EDGE Analysis

The hard-throwing righty was curiously assigned to Double-A to start the season, but he forced a promotion to Triple-A after just three starts. Cleveland has started a youth movement in the rotation, with Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen already up from Triple-A, and Williams is looking like a more intriguing option than Peyton Battenfield or even Cal Quantrill, but Aaron Civale (oblique) and Triston McKenzie (shoulder) could return from injury in the coming weeks to further complicate things. It seems like Williams is essentially big-league ready, so he could get the call at any point, but it's not a foregone conclusion that he will be up soon.

The Guardians promoted Williams from Double-A Akron to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Williams will fill the rotation spot at Columbus vacated by Tanner Bibee, who was promoted from Triple-A to make his big-league debut Wednesday against the Rockies. Meanwhile, Williams is scheduled to make his first Triple-A start Thursday after a spectacular start to the 2023 campaign at Double-A. Over 14 innings with Akron, the 23-year-old pitched to a 0.63 ERA while striking out 20. Williams is one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, and a strong showing in Triple-A could enable him to make starts for Cleveland by the end of the 2023 campaign.

Williams is opening the season back at Double-A Akron, MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

This comes via an article from the MLB Pipeline crew listing the starting level for each top 100 prospect, so it's possible it's just an error as it hasn't been reported elsewhere, but it would be pretty noteworthy for Williams' 2023 outlook if true. The hard-throwing righty dominated at Double-A for 16 starts in 2022 (2.31 ERA, 1.00 WHIP), but the Guardians have a bit of a roster crunch in the Triple-A rotation. Most notable is the fact that Tanner Bibee is reportedly headed to Triple-A, so he would appear to be the current favorite of the Bibee/Williams duo to reach the majors first.

Williams finished the 2022 season with a 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 149:40 K:BB over 115 innings between High-A and Double-A.

EDGE Analysis

After putting up a 1.40 ERA, 0.867 WHIP and 67:14 K:BB in nine starts for High-A Lake County, he posted a 2.31 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 82:26 K:BB in 16 outings for Double-A Akron. The 23rd overall pick in last year's draft, Williams certainly delivered a remarkable pro debut this season, and as a college arm who's risen quickly through the organization, he stands a chance of making his MLB debut as soon as the middle of next year.

Williams has made eight starts since his promotion to Double-A Akron, posting a 2.08 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 39:17 K:BB across 34.2 innings.

EDGE Analysis

Unsurprisingly, he hasn't been quite as invincible as he was in High-A, but Williams has still allowed only 20 hits in those 34.2 innings. He's seen his walk rate spike a bit (4.4 BB/9 from 2.8), while his strikeout rate has fallen from incredible (13.4 K/9) to merely good (10.3). Even with those caveats, these are great results for the 22-year-old as he continues through his first pro season. Williams has everything you look for in a pitching prospect -- a big frame, a 100 mph fastball, three solid secondary pitches and the stats to match.

Williams was promoted from High-A Lake County to Double-A Akron on Monday.

EDGE Analysis

Williams was dominant in Lake County to begin the season, as he posted a 1.40 ERA, 67:14 K:BB and 0.87 WHIP in 45 innings over nine starts with the club. The right-hander was selected 23rd overall in last year's draft and will now have a chance to prove himself against advanced competition.

Williams has a 1.40 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 67:14 K:BB across nine starts (45 innings) for High-A Lake County.

EDGE Analysis

He's given up one or zero runs in seven consecutive outings and most recently pitched a season-high 6.1 innings on Friday, striking out eight while allowing a single run on five hits and a walk. This has been an incredible pro debut for Williams, who went 23rd overall in last year's draft, and with the way he's dominated at High-A, a promotion should be forthcoming very soon.

Williams has pitched 13.2 innings across his first three pro starts for High-A Lake County, posting a 2.63 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 24:6 K:BB along the way.

EDGE Analysis

You certainly love to see all those strikeouts. The No. 23 pick in last year's draft, Williams has prototypical size at 6-foot-6 and 238 pounds, and his high-90s fastball and strong offspeed stuff have him set up for long-term success if he can stay healthy. A college arm, the 22-year-old is just now making his pro debut, and he'll probably stay at High-A for a good portion of this season while he refines his command and control.