Rays Should Move Red Hot Outfielder Up in the Lineup

Should the Tampa Bay Rays move a red-hot batter up in the lineup?

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 dropped their second game of the series to the Chicago Cubs and once again slipped under the .500 mark. With starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen being a late scratch, the Rays were in a tough spot to try to piece together a bullpen game. 

While a loss is never ideal, Tampa Bay was in a challenging situation with Rasmussen having to leave the team for the birth of his second child. Fortunately, the team did have a bit of a plan with this being something that they knew could happen. Sadly, the bullpen was unable to slow down the Cubs’ offense, and it resulted in a 9-2 loss. 

Even though the Rays might not have been able to win the game, they did see another really strong performance from their young outfielder, Chandler Simpson. The second-year player has been a massive bright spot for the team so far, and he was able to go 2-for-4 at the plate. However, despite the hot start, he was batting sixth in the lineup, which feels like a strange spot for a player of his caliber. 

Chandler Should Be Batting Near the Top of the Order

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Chandler Simpson | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

With the 25-year-old off to a hot start, batting in the bottom half of the order feels like a strange place to be. Kevin Cash has been moving the lineup around on a game-by-game basis, but Simpson batting sixth makes little sense. 

So far this year, he is slashing .405/.444/.452 with four stolen bases. Simpson is never going to be a major power hitter, but he has the ability to make contact and get on base. When he’s on the base paths, that’s where he can really thrive. He stole 44 bases last year and has been a perfect 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts. 

Based on his skill set, Simpson appears to be a perfect leadoff hitter on paper for the Rays. It has been Yandy Diaz in that role for much of the early part of the year, but giving Simpson a chance to set the table could be wise. 

If he is going to be batting sixth, there isn’t much help behind him in the batting order to knock him in. If Cash were to move him to the leadoff spot, he could have Diaz, Jonathan Aranda, and Junior Caminero getting chances to score for him. 

Overall, the young outfielder has had an excellent season, but moving up in the lineup seems like something that the team should explore.