Chandler

Simpson

Simpson came off the bench during Thursday’s season-opener at Busch Stadium with southpaw Matthew Liberatore taking the ball. The 25-year-old speedster figures to cede occasional starts against lefties to Ryan Vilade, despite posting respectable numbers against them last year. The interesting wrinkle is that he’s batting towards the bottom of the order, which limits his runs scored upside, but could result in a few additional stolen base opportunities to help manufacture runs.

With the Cardinals starting left-hander Matthew Liberatore, the Rays will turn to Jonny DeLuca in right field and Ryan Vilade in left field, with both Simpson and Jake Fraley on the bench. The Rays do love to platoon, so fantasy managers should expect this to continue for Simpson. He would likely still enter games as a pinch runner when he doesn’t start, but this will lower his projected at-bat totals. The remainder of the Rays’ lineup on Thursday is: Yandy Diaz DH, Ryan Vilade LF, Jonathan Aranda 1B, Junior Caminero 3B, Ben Williamson 2B, Jonny DeLuca RF, Nick Fortes C, Cedric Mullins CF, and Carson Williams SS.

The 344-foot shot down the right field line bounced back into play and was initially ruled a double, but replay showed it was over the yellow line. Simpson has one homer in 1,636 professional plate appearances, that being an inside-the-parker in Double-A in 2024. It’s not strictly an exit velocity matter for him — he exceeded 100 mph on seven of his balls in play in the majors last year — but most of his hardest contact comes on grounders. With a .370/.393/.481 line in 30 plate appearances, Simpson has had a nice spring despite missing a little time with a hamstring issue. He’ll almost certainly be the Rays’ primary left fielder against righties, and he’ll be worth playing in fantasy leagues as long as he continues to start most of the time.

Simpson missed six days with hamstring tightness. He’s 5-for-12 this spring as he attempts to secure a spot in the Tampa Bay outfield. For all of his fantasy potential, it’s unclear if he’ll be helpful to the Rays a left fielder against right-handers.

Both players have been sidelined for a few days, but neither injury was feared to be significant. It now appears that both will return with ample time to be ready for the start of the season.

Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters Simpson has been held out of spring training action recently after experiencing renewed hamstring tightness. The 25-year-old speedster missed time at the outset of camp with the same issue, which is why Tampa Bay is proceeding with an abundance of caution. There’s been zero indication that Simpson won’t be ready for Opening Day later this month.

Simpson’s one ball in play was a soft liner to left that actually had a .980 xBA, but that doesn’t account for how shallow Simpson gets played and Ray-Patrick Didder turned it into an out. Still, it was a second straight good day for Simpson as he tries to secure a starting spot in Tampa Bay’s outfield.

The 25-year-old made his spring debut on Saturday after being delayed due to a hamstring injury, but he seemed pretty healthy today. Both of Simpson’s hits were singles, but one of them was 95 mph off the bat, so it wasn’t all soft contact. Simpson has spent a lot of the offseason working on his centerfield defense, and turning himself into an above-average defender out there would go a long way to securing his playing time in a crowded outfield.

Simpson went 1-for-2 on Friday in his spring debut against the Blue Jays following a brief absence at the outset of Grapefruit League action due to left hamstring tightness. It’s an ongoing situation that fantasy managers should keep a close eye on, especially since hamstring issues can be recurring issues if not managed properly. The 25-year-old speedster stole 44 bases in 109 games last year as a rookie and will be one of the most coveted steals threats in fantasy drafts this spring.

It’s still early in spring training, so there is no real cause for concern with Simpson being sidelined. However, his main attribute is speed, so any lingering hamstring soreness would be a major wrench in his value to both the Rays and fantasy managers. The Rays also added Cedric Mullins, Jacob Melton, Justyn-Henry Malloy, and Jake Fraley this offseason, so Simpson is not guaranteed a spot in this outfield.