Rays' Outfielder Starting Off Season Strong is Very Encouraging

Which player on the Tampa Bay Rays has got off to a good start this season?

Aug 16, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; A Tampa Bay Rays helmet sits in the dugout before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays have not gotten off to the start that they would have liked this season, but there are some encouraging things despite a 2-4 record so far. 

With a lengthy road trip to start the year, it was always going to be a challenging beginning of the campaign. The Rays lost two out of three games to both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers. In both series, the bullpen really let Tampa Bay down, but especially against the Cardinals. 

Against St. Louis, the team had leads blown in each of the first two games. That series easily could have been won and potentially even a sweep for the Rays, but instead, they lost two out of three. 

While there have been some poor performances for Tampa Bay in that area, they have seen some good things from their lineup. Both Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda are off to hot starts, and the top of the order has looked good. 

Solid offensive production was something that the team focused on trying to improve this winter, especially in the outfield. So far, they have received some excellent production from the second-year outfielder Chandler Simpson. 

Simpson Off to Hot Start

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Chandler Simpson | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

As one of the few outfielders who returned from the 2025 team, the franchise has high expectations for Simpson. As a rookie, he proved that he could be a dynamic player with the ability to get on base and wreak havoc when doing so. 

In 2025, he slashed .295/.326/.345 with 44 stolen bases. While he was caught stealing 12 times, he proved as a rookie that he can be a real threat on the base paths. So far this year, the young outfielder is off to a great start, slashing .476/.522/.571 with two stolen bases. 

Even though he is never going to be a prolific power hitter, the improvements so far in year two are encouraging. Currently, he hasn’t been batting at the top of the order, but that is something that Kevin Cash might look to try out at some point. As long as Simpson continues to get on base at a high rate, having him be able to set the table for players like Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda, and Junior Caminero could make sense. Furthermore, that would also make the lineup feel a bit longer. 

Overall, it has been an excellent start for Simpson this season and he appears like he is going to be a building block for Tampa Bay going forward.