Simpson went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a RBI in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Yankees.
It's early, but Simpson has been excellent at the top of the lineup for the Rays. On the season, the 25-year-old brought his slash line up to .411/.441./.482 after recording three more hits Sunday. It also extended his current hit streak out to eight games and keeps the amount of games he's been held without a hit to one contest so far.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Riding pine Saturday
Rotowire
Simpson is not in the Rays' starting lineup against the Yankees on Saturday.
The Yankees are deploying southpaw Max Fried to the mound for Saturday's contest, so the lefty-hitting Simpson will take a seat while Ryan Vilade starts in left field and bats second. Simpson has reached base safely in each of his 13 outings this season and has a .373/.407/.412 slash line with five steals (in seven attempts), five runs, one triple and three RBI across 54 plate appearances.
Simpson went 1-for-5 with two RBI during the Rays' 5-3 win over the Yankees on Friday.
Although he wasn't credited with the error, Simpson's fielding gaff in the first inning resulted in an RBI triple for Amed Rosario to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. Simpson made up for his mistake with RBI in the second and sixth inning on a fielder's choice and a single, respectively. He has recorded a hit in 12 of the first 13 games of the regular season and is slashing .373/.407/.412 with five steals (in seven attempts), one triple and three RBI over 54 plate appearances.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Ascends to leadoff spot
Rotowire
Simpson will start in left field and bat leadoff in Friday's game versus the Yankees.
Simpson spent some time in the leadoff spot for the Rays last season, but this is the first time this year that he's sitting atop the batting order. The speedster earned a move up by slashing .391/.429/.435 with five stolen bases over his first 49 plate appearances this season. Yandy Diaz -- who had hit leadoff in the Rays' first 12 games -- is in the cleanup spot.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Records fifth steal
Rotowire
Simpson went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Cubs.
Simpson has hit safely in 11 of 12 games so far this season, and he's been in the starting lineup for every game after being on the bench Opening Day. He's bounced around the lineup but has seemingly settled into the No. 5 hole over the last three games, though he could hit lower in the lineup if he gets consistent time against southpaws. So far, he's earned the starting job in left field, batting .391 with five stolen bases, one triple, one RBI and five runs scored over 49 plate appearances. He hasn't hit a home run in his career, so he's purely a speed option in fantasy. Simpson stole 44 bases on 56 attempts as a rookie in 2025.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Still nursing hamstring
Rotowire
Simpson has been held out of Grapefruit League games since Wednesday due to renewed tightness in his left hamstring, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Left hamstring tightness pushed Simpson's spring debut into late February, and it appears he still hasn't fully recovered from the injury. However, manager Kevin Cash said Saturday that the Rays are being "overly cautious," and he expects Simpson to return to the lineup relatively soon. The 25-year-old outfielder is 5-for-10 with a stolen base through four games this spring.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Making spring debut
Rotowire
Simpson (hamstring) is starting in left field and batting sixth in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The 25-year-old is making his first start of spring training Friday after recovering from left hamstring tightness. Simpson showed off his two-category upside in 109 games as a rookie last season with a .295 batting average and 44 stolen bases, but his stats were otherwise underwhelming with 53 runs scored, 26 RBI and no home runs.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Nursing hamstring injury
Rotowire
Simpson will not play in the Rays' first several Grapefruit League games due to a tight left hamstring, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Much of Simpson's value comes from his speed, so the Rays will proceed cautiously with any lower-body issue. The 25-year-old is in line to be the team's primary left fielder this season. He slashed .295/.326/.345 with 44 stolen bases over 109 contests last season as a rookie.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Idle Sunday
Rotowire
Simpson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.
Unless he's used off the bench Sunday, Simpson will conclude his rookie season with a .295 batting average to go with 44 stolen bases, 53 runs and 26 RBI in 109 games. Jake Mangum will enter the lineup in center field.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Taking seat Thursday
Rotowire
Simpson is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Baltimore.
The Rays are using a right-handed-heavy lineup against Orioles southpaw Cade Povich, so the left-handed-swinging Simpson will grab a seat. Christopher Morel will handle left field and bat cleanup.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Posts steal in win
Rotowire
Simpson went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Red Sox.
Simpson was able to bounce back after an 0-for-5 effort Saturday. The outfielder has 43 steals this season, including five thefts across 19 contests in September. He's added a .299/.331/.349 slash line through 105 contests with 26 RBI, 51 runs scored, 14 doubles and three triples, but the speedy outfielder is still in search of his first home run.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Sitting against southpaw
Rotowire
Simpson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
Simpson started the previous seven games but will take a seat for the series finale in Chicago. The rookie outfielder batted .333 (9-for-27) during that stretch but is without an extra-base hit in his past 17 contests. Christopher Morel is starting in left field and batting cleanup against Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Sitting Friday
Rotowire
Simpson is not in the Rays' starting lineup against the Guardians on Friday.
After going 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Thursday's series opener, Simpson will be on the bench for the beginning of Friday's contest while Richie Palacios starts in left field and bats in the leadoff spot. In the 26 games since returning from the 10-day IL in early August, Simpson has slashed .277/.308/.339 with seven steals, two triples, 14 runs and seven RBI in 117 plate appearances.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Tallies 39th stolen base
Rotowire
Simpson went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base Tuesday against the Mariners.
Simpson was the catalyst for the Rays' offense in the seventh inning, when he reached base on an infield single, stole third base and then came around to score the eventual game-winning run. This marked his first stolen base in seven starts, but he now has 39 total bags on the season in only 89 games. Simpson has also led off 17 straight contests for the Rays, scoring 11 runs and driving in six in that span.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Speed on full display
Rotowire
Simpson went 2-for-3 with a two-RBI triple and a stolen base during Sunday's 7-2 win over St. Louis.
Simpson's third-inning steal of second base was his fourth pilfer in as many games, boosting his season total to 38 steals. The outfielder also logged his third triple of the campaign. Simpson has been on a tear at the plate lately, going 21-for-53 (.396) with six stolen bases and a 5:6 BB:K in his last 13 games.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Five-game hitting streak
Rotowire
Simpson went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored Wednesday against the Athletics.
Simpson has at least one hit in seven of his last eight games and extended his hitting streak to five games with Wednesday's performance. He hasn't produced many counting stats in that stretch, as he has four runs but only one RBI and one stolen base across the eight contests. Simpson is also just 1-for-5 on his most recent stolen-base attempts, so the team may slow down his opportunities on the basepaths.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: One hit in return
Rotowire
Simpson went 1-for-5 with an RBI and a double Tuesday against the Angels.
Simpson missed four consecutive games due to a finger injury but returned to hit atop the Rays' order Tuesday. He delivered an RBI double in the fourth inning as part of a seven-run frame. That marked only Simpson's 10th extra-base hit in 66 games, and speed remains his primary source of fantasy intrigue as he has 32 stolen bases.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Sitting again Saturday
Rotowire
Simpson (finger) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
Simpson will miss a second consecutive start Saturday after spraining his left index finger during Thursday's contest against the Yankees. Both of Simpson's absences have come with left-handers on the mound for the Dodgers, so the speedy outfielder may be sitting out more so for matchup reasons. Either way, it will give Jonny DeLuca another chance to start in center field for the Rays while batting seventh.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Exits with injury
Rotowire
Simpson was removed from Thursday's game against the Yankees due to an apparent left hand injury, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
After grounding out to end the top of the third inning, Simpson was having issues with his hand while making his way into the outfield. He was pulled after a visit from the Rays' training staff, and the team will now likely take a closer look at him to determine if he's dealing with any structural damage. He can be considered day-to-day for now.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Scores three runs
Rotowire
Simpson went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, a walk and a stolen base Wednesday against the White Sox.
Simpson has occupied the leadoff spot in the Rays' lineup for the last seven games and has excelled in the role. He's gone 9-for-30 with only two strikeouts while scoring six runs and stealing five bases. Since being recalled June 24, he's hit .341 with 12 runs scored and 12 stolen bases across 24 games.
