Rays Send Kameron Misner Down to Triple-A Durham, Chandler Simpson Returning?
In this story:
TAMPA, Fla. — Kameron Misner became an instant hero in Tampa Bay this year, hitting a home run on Opening Day to give the Rays a win. He was an early bright spot, hitting .320 through the end of April and playing great defense, mostly in center field.
But since then, he's really struggled, and the Rays announced Monday afternoon that he was being sent down to Triple-A Durham.
The Tampa Bay Rays have optioned OF Kameron Misner to Triple-A Durham.
— Rays Communications (@RaysPR) June 23, 2025
There was no corresponding move announced, but it's presumed that outfielder Chandler Simpson will join the team in Kansas City for the start of a three-game series on Tuesday night. Simpson was up for 35 games earlier this year, hitting .285 with 11 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. Despite playing just half the season in the big leagues, he's fifth in the American League in stolen bases
Plenty of Rays fans were upset when he was sent down, because he puts a lot of pressure on opponents, especailly on the basepaths. But he's been putting up big numbers in Durham, In 16 games since being sent down, Simpson hit .366 and stole 11 bases, striking out only eight times in 71 at-bats.
In May, Misner hit just .138 with one home run and six RBIs in 80 at-bats, June hasn't been any better. He's hitting just .167 this month, and that's with getting two hits on Friday night in the win against Detroit.
The Rays are 22-9 since May 20, the best record in baseball, and they are 2.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East. They're looking to exact some revenge on the Royals, who are 38-40 on the year but swept the Rays April 29 through May 1 in Tampa. The Rays only scored three runs total in that series, their worst offensive performance in any series this season.
Related Rays stories
- FAITH IN KYLE SNYDER: The Tampa Bay Rays are rolling, and their pitching staff is one of the best in baseball. The common denominator for their success is confidence — and full faith in pitching coach Kyle Snyder, the man who instills it. CLICK HERE
- TOM BREW COLUMN: Since May 20, the Tampa Bay Rays are 22-8, the best record in baseball. They always have great pitching and defense, but the change has come with a batting order that's been impressive from one through nine almost every night. That's a winning formula. CLICK HERE
- ESPN INSIDERS LOVE THE RAYS: With each win, the Tampa Bay Rays are compelling the nation to pay attention. ESPN insiders Buster Olney and Paul Hembekides were raviing about the Rays in a recent Baseball Tonight podcast. CLICK HERE
- RAYS BEAT TIGERS AGAIN (Saturday): Tampa Bay's 8-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday secured another series victory and once again proved the Rays can hang with the best teams in baseball. CLICK HERE
- RAYS 2025 FULL SCHEDULE: The Tampa Bay Rays will play the 2025 season outdoors for the first time, playing their home games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Here is their complete schedule, with dates, locations and game times, and results of all games thus far. CLICK HERE
Tom Brew is the publisher of ''Tampa Bay Rays on SI'' and has been with the Sports Illustrated platform since 2019. He has worked at some of America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He owns eight sites on the "On SI'' network and has written four books.
Follow tombrewsports