The Pittsburgh Pirates gave Alika Williams a couple chances, but in the end, he never broke through.
Now, they're cutting ties with him.
The Pirates released Williams on Tuesday, according to Pittsburgh baseball writer John Dreker.
Williams becomes a free agent, and he'll look to latch on with a new organization.
He was originally a first-round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 MLB Draft out of Arizona State.
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Williams came to the Pirates in a 2023 trade straight up for Robert Stephenson.
He then appeared in 46 MLB games for the Pirates in 2023 and another 37 games in 2024.
Across those two stints, Williams hit just.202 with a.529 OPS.
Williams spent the entire 2025 campaign at Triple-A Indianapolis. There, he batted.268 with 11 doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 42 RBI for a.722 OPS.
A natural shortstop who can play all over the infield, Williams will turn 27 years old in March.
He has enough experience and versatility to land a minor league contract somewhere.
It'll take some work, and potential improvement with the bat, for Williams to get another crack at the major leagues, though.
With the Pirates continuing to improve their lineup, and top prospect Konnor Griffin on the way, it wasn't likely Williams would've seen the majors anytime soon in Pittsburgh.
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