Tampa Bay

Rays

Simpson showed off his speed with his first — and likely not last — three-bagger of the year as well as his second steal of the campaign. The 25-year-old isn’t going to provide much power, but helping in the average and steals category is well within reach for one of the fastest players in the sport.

The results were mixed, but McClanahan just being on the mound is a win. It was his first start since 2023, as the southpaw has been set back by Tommy John surgery and a nerve issue. He blanked the Brewers over the first four innings, but lost his command in the fifth with a couple of runners coming home. His fastball was consistently over 95 mph, and he struck out four to go with three free passes. Expect some ocassional bumps, but this was encouraging. He gets the Cubs on Monday.

Fraley returns to right field and will bat cleanup following a two-game hiatus due to shoulder soreness. The 30-year-old platoon specialist is a perfect fit for how the Rays like to construct their rosters, but he’s an afterthought for fantasy purposes outside of AL-only formats.

Díaz kicked off the scoring by taking Brewers lefty Kyle Harrison deep for a leadoff homer. The 34-year-old on-base machine has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball so far, batting .550 (11-for-20) with six RBI through four games. The key to his early-season success has been re-implementing his approach and swing from three years ago when he won the AL batting title, according to Rays sideline reporter Ryan Bass.

Kelly got the call to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning with a runner on first base after southpaw Ian Seymour retired left-handed batters Garrett Mitchell and David Hamilton. He managed to retire pinch-hitter Blake Perkins on a harmless ground ball to extinguish the threat and preserve the victory. Griffin Jax looked sharp while working a scoreless seventh inning of a tie ballgame while Garrett Cleavinger got the eighth. We’re anticipating the Rays continue deploying a closer-by-committee approach, which makes it a virtually stay-away fantasy-wise.

It’s hard to imagine a stronger season debut than this from Martinez as he managed to limit Milwaukee’s red-hot lineup to just a William Contreras homer across six frames. He struck out three and didn’t hand out a free pass. The 35-year-old veteran is a less appealing fantasy option than someone like Ian Seymour would’ve been, but he has some streaming appeal in deeper leagues. It feels like only a matter of time before he moves to the bullpen to accommodate the arrival of top pitching prospect Brody Hopkins later this year. He’ll face off against the rebuilding Twins on Sunday to cap off a two-start week.

Fraley remains sidelined for the second straight contest after being scratched from Sunday’s lineup with right shoulder soreness. The 30-year-old platoon outfielder will likely get a few additional days off to put the issue to bed. He’s presumably day-to-day for now. It’ll be Ryan Vilade taking over in right field on Monday night to face Brewers lefty Kyle Harrison.

Díaz managed four RBI despite hitting only one extra-base hit. He added an RBI double in the fourth inning and then scored on an RBI double by Jonathan Aranda. He then capped off the five-hit day with an RBI knock in the ninth inning that made it 11-7. He has been absolutely sizzling at the plate to open the 2026 season, hitting .563 (9-for-16) with three runs scored and four RBI.

Aranda smacked an RBI double off of Dustin May in the fourth inning that extended the Rays’ lead to 5-1. He also chipped in a run-scoring single in the seventh inning that made it 8-4. With the three-hit attack, the 27-year-old is now hitting .462 (6-for-13) with a homer and four RBI through his first three ballgames.

DeLuca opened the scoring in the contest with an RBI double off of Dustin May in the top half of the second inning. He then came around to score on a wild pitch. The 27-year-old outfielder then reached on a bunt single in the third inning before getting picked off at first base. He also reached on a fielder’s choice in the ninth and scored on a sacrifice bunt. He’s off to a nice start to his 2026 season, hitting .444 (4-for-9) with a pair of runs scored and three RBI.