ST. PETERSBURG - Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson will sit out the final two games of the regular season with a sore right foot, manager Kevin Cash confirmed Saturday, but the speedster expects to be healthy for Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Oct. 3 at Tropicana Field.
Simpson fouled a ball hard off the top of his right foot during Friday’s 2-0 win against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, finishing his at-bat and playing another half-inning before exiting with lingering soreness. He said Saturday he was still “just a little sore.”
“I think that’s probably the smart thing,” Cash said of holding Simpson out. “He’s OK, but we’ll be smart and not push it with him.”
Simpson said he has no doubt he will be ready for the ALDS opener. The Rays’ American League East title means Tampa Bay bypasses the Wild Card Series entirely, giving Simpson extra days to recover. “Don’t want to make it worse. Just make sure everything’s fine,” Simpson said. “Just blessed to have [those] days where I can heal and get treatment on it, and just look forward to Game 1.”
The missed time does little to diminish what Simpson accomplished in his first full Major League season. After a slow start - batting .259 with a .600 OPS and 14 steals through his first 70 games - Simpson caught fire after June 20, hitting .346 with a .763 OPS, 32 steals and only 18 strikeouts in 334 plate appearances over 81 games.
“He’s had a heck of a season,” Cash said. “The way that he has continued to improve and adjust on the fly, it’s just a credit to him and the work ethic that he has. He’s game-changing. Game-changing defensively, game-changing when he gets on base and game-changing when [there is a] contact situation.”
Simpson reflected on the turnaround with characteristic humility. “I’m definitely blessed that I was able to have a healthy and successful year, especially going through maybe some tough times early in the year,” he said. “Just showing resilience and grit, perseverance, bouncing back from that and [being] able to overcome that and come a long way from that, I’m definitely blessed for that.”
Simpson said he is eager for his first postseason experience when the ALDS opens Oct. 3 at Tropicana Field. “Definitely looking forward to the environment, situations, how everybody handles it, and just dealing with it all,” he said. “It’ll be fun to take it all in.”