Tampa Bay Rays Prospect Achieves Career First at Triple-A as Strong 2025 Continues

The Rays surprisingly sent Simpson to Durham on May 30, despite a strong start to his MLB career there. After Tampa Bay injuries forced a roster move, the speedy outfielder made his MLB debut on April 19 and played in 35 games for the Rays, batting .285 (39-for-123), scoring 35 runs, driving in 11 and stealing 19 bases.

Manager Kevin Cash said at the time that it was a tough decision to demote the electric rookie, but the Rays needed the roster spot with Jake Mangum coming off the injured list.

With Mangum’s return, there wasn’t an everyday role. And Cash told Adam Berry of MLB.com last month that’s what Simpson needs right now.

“There's probably some specifics that we talked about -- defense, seeing more balls, his route efficiency. Certainly at the plate, we really like his approach,” Cash said. “He's a guy that has shown the ability to probably walk more than strike out; [he can] get that back.

“I think him getting down there and getting some regularity to his playing time down there is only going to help him.”

Since his return to Durham, Simpson is batting 9-for-23 (.391) with two RBIs and three steals in five games. On the season, he has a batting line of .323/.340/.344/.684 along with 11 steals in 22 games for the Bulls.

Should the Rays find themselves in a pinch for some speed, they know where to look.