TORONTO — Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson has hit safely in 19 of his last 23 games, batting .349 with nine steals during that stretch, raising his season average from a low of .259 back to .282 heading into a series opener at Rogers Centre.
Simpson’s resurgence has been defined less by raw power than by the pressure his speed and contact ability place on opposing defenses. At Fenway Park on Saturday, his baserunning forced the Red Sox into a pair of errors that led to three runs in a game the Rays ultimately lost 7-6.
“I hope so. I hope that my presence is felt at the plate where anything can happen and they have to rush and there’s a mindset that they have to have … that I can get on base any way and I can create a run any way,” Simpson said.
In the second inning against Red Sox starter Patrick Sandoval, Ryan Vilade led off with a double to left field. First baseman Willson Contreras charged so far in anticipating a bunt that he was practically within arm’s reach of Simpson in the batter’s box. Simpson pulled back and slashed a chopper that second baseman Anthony Seigler dove to stop, with Seigler’s throw sailing behind Contreras. Vilade scored, and Simpson advanced to second on the error before scoring on Nick Fortes’ two-out single.
“I saw [Contreras] kind of charging in, kind of felt him in the corner of my eye,” Simpson said. “So, I thought it was a good time to reach in my toolbox, grab a slash out and see if it worked.”
Simpson struck again in the fourth inning, leading off with a double off the Green Monster and then swiping third base — his 23rd steal of the season. Catcher Carlos Narváez’s throw sailed well over Caleb Durbin’s head, allowing Simpson to trot home with the tying run. He had as many extra-base hits during his recent hot stretch as he did in his first 69 games of the season combined.
“The second he’s on base, all heck breaks loose,” starter Drew Rasmussen said. “It’s great to watch.”
Manager Kevin Cash credited a mechanical adjustment for the turnaround. “A little bit more line-drive-oriented,” Cash said. “Certainly, the ball on the ground puts a lot of pressure on the defense. He had a patch where pitchers were making it a little tougher and they were elevating some pitches to him, and he was hitting more fly balls. That’s not his game. … Really like his approach right now.”
Simpson framed his style as central to the Rays’ identity heading toward the Trade Deadline. “I feel like that’s just part of what makes the Rays the team that we are,” Simpson said. “We can win with the longball as well, but just any other way — like where you can move a guy over, get a runner in, cause some chaos on the basepaths, move the defense around and create runs that way as well — to help our big bats score runs.”
The Rays continue their series at Rogers Centre, with the club still exploring potential upgrades at second base, catcher or in the outfield ahead of the Trade Deadline.