The Tampa Bay Rays have had an odd season this year. After looking dead in the water in a loaded American League East division, Tampa Bay rattled off eight wins in their last nine games to get to 29-27 on the year. This is currently good enough for second place in their division and just one game back of a wild card spot. Veteran manager Kevin Cash has navigated plenty of roster turnover in the last several years, but it seems the Rays will be a playoff-caliber team once again this season. This has been thanks in large part to an influx of young talent.
But according to the Rays Communications X account, the Rays are sending down one of their most exciting young players.
“The Tampa Bay Rays have reinstated OF Jake Mangum (left groin strain) from the 10-day IL and optioned OF Chandler Simpson to Triple-A Durham.”
Simpson has been one of the biggest stories during this young MLB season. His otherworldly speed has quite honestly changed the entire season for the Rays.
After being selected in the 2nd round of the 2022 draft out of Georgia Institute of Technology, Simpson put on a show immediately. In his first full professional season, he stole 94 bases. He then stole 104 in 2024. No, that was not a typo. He was then called up early into the 2025 season, where he swiped 19 bags in just 35 games. His speed has been on display not only with his base stealing, but also in legging out would-be routine outs into base hits.
More than one tool
While the 24-year-old has 98th percentile sprint speed according to Baseball Savant, he is not a one-trick pony. To accompany his speed, he provides excellent contact capabilities with a .305 XBA during his first cup of coffee in the big leagues. He has also managed to seemingly master the strikezone already with an excellent 12.6 Whiff rate and a measly 10..5 K rate. His goal is to get on base by any means necessary. Once he’s on first, that’s when the magic happens. He can turn a single into a triple in two pitches by swiping the bases with relative ease.
Walks Steals 2nd Base Steals 3rd Base Scores on E2
Kachow⚡️
Not a complete player yet
So if Simpson is a good contact hitter and elite on the bases, why did he get sent back down? The simple answer is that he is not yet a complete Major League player. Despite having two excellent tools, his other traits lag significantly. Despite his excellent speed, he has been a net negative with -3 Outs above average in the outfield. This does not pair well with his 3rd percentile arm strength either. His power is almost non-existent, which isn’t the worst thing, but his walk rate is at a measly 4.5%.
Simpson will need to work on his walk rate, defense, and slugging a bit if he wants to return to the big leagues this season. While his skillset is one of the most unique in the sport, he is not yet a complete MLB caliber player in my opinion.
Tampa Bay Rays make Shocking move on their Young Superstar