Inside The Rays

Rays Recall Lightning Fast Rookie Outfielder Chandler Simpson

Tampa Bay rookie outfielder Chandler Simpson is lightning on the base paths, and is quickly becoming one of the fastest players in baseball. He's back in the big leagues Tuesday after getting called up by the Rays.
Don Strouble|
Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson (14) steals third base then scores a run on Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz (21) (not pictured) errant throw in the fourth inning at Daikin Park.
Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson (14) steals third base then scores a run on Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz (21) (not pictured) errant throw in the fourth inning at Daikin Park. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

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Tampa Bay Rays

By recalling outfielder Chandler Simpson from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays are getting back one of the fastest players in baseball.

Simpson leads the majors in the fastest times from home plate to first base at 3.97 seconds. Additionally, he is No. 9 in sprint speed at 29.8 feet per second.

Rays right fielder Jake Mangum joins Simpson with one of the quickest times from home plate to first base with a time of 4.10 seconds, the fifth best in the league.

Simpson, 24, earned recognition when the Rays called him up earlier than expected — the third week of the season — following a series of injuries with Tampa Bay outfielder. Immediately, Simpson displayed his ability as an ultra-aggressive base runner with a relentless motor and elite speed. In just 35 games played, Simpson is top-10 in stolen bases with 19. His teammate, Jose Caballero, leads the league with 29.

At the end of May, the Rays optioned Simpson back to Triple-A to reinstate Mangum from the 10-day injured list. In 16 games in June with Durham, Simpson is hitting .333 with 11 stolen bases.

Simpson also has 19 stolen bases with Durham, putting him in a three-way tie with Nashville's Jared Oliva and Anthony Seigler for seventh-most in Triple-A.

The Rays selected Simpson with the 70th pick in the competitive balance B round of the 2022 MLB Draft. A native of Atlanta, Ga., Simpson played college baseball at UAB and Georgia Tech. In his final season with the Yellow Jackets, Simpson was named First-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference and Second-Team All-American.

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Don Strouble
DON STROUBLE

Don Strouble is a sports journalist who covers Tampa Bay Rays baseball and other sports for the ‘’On SI’’ network. He is a Northeast Ohio native and currently lives in Orlando, Fla.

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