SEATTLE -- Chandler Simpson keeps making the Rays’ lineup look a little less important than his legs.
Moved up to the No. 3 spot for Tampa Bay’s 4-1 win over the Mariners on Sunday, Simpson delivered again, going 4-for-5 with three singles, a double and a run scored as the Rays finished off a series sweep and stretched their winning streak to six. It was a rare lineup shuffle from manager Kevin Cash, who wanted to place Simpson and Jonathan Aranda between right-handed hitters Yandy Díaz and Junior Caminero against Seattle starter Emerson Hancock, a pitcher who has had success in right-on-right matchups.
Simpson has now hit in seven different spots in the order this season, and the location hasn’t changed the output. Three of Sunday’s hits never left the infield, but the 25-year-old turned each one into a productive trip to the plate by simply outrunning the defense.
For all the speed he shows once the game starts, Simpson says he moves at a very different pace off the field.
“I just walk, do everything really slow,” Simpson said Friday. “And then when it's on the field, I just turn it off.”
That switch has been on plenty lately. Simpson, the Rays’ recent recipient of the 2026 Heart and Hustle Award, keeps creating problems on the bases, and he’s now second in the AL with 31 steals after his two-hit performance Saturday.
Seattle saw the threat firsthand in the fifth inning Sunday. Simpson broke for second, but Caminero lifted a ball toward Josh Naylor, forcing Simpson to scramble back to first.
Naylor let it fall, and the Mariners took the forceout at second instead. The message was clear: if Simpson gets on, the defense has to deal with him.
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