Just when the Tampa Bay Rays were starting to win some games and gain momentum, they did the unthinkable. They optioned Chandler Simpson, the fastest man in baseball, to AAA Durham.
All Simpson did was steal 17 bases in his first 30 games in the majors and provide the offensive spark the Rays needed for the first part of the season.
But the Rays want Simpson to work on his defense. Simpson played center field and left field during his time in Tampa, and the organization wants him to improve defensively.
Jake Magnum was activated off the DL, and since he is a switch hitter, the Rays felt they could use his offensive versatility. Mangum carried this Rays team the first few weeks of the season, hitting .324 with seven RBI’s.
Kameron Misner has played excellent in center field for the Rays, so there was no chance he was going to be optioned to Durham.
The one player that should have been shown the door is Christopher Morel. Morel has been awful since the Rays acquired him in the Isaac Parades trade last season. This season, Morel is hitting .203 with three homers and 14 RBI’s. Yes, Morel is out of options and cannot be optioned to the minor leagues. However, the Rays could have cut him loose, cut their losses, and moved on, keeping Simpson on the roster.
Is the Rays front office too proud to admit that the Christopher Morel trade was a mistake? It sure sounds like it.
Simpson was hitting .285 with 11 RBI’s on the season with 19 steals on 22 attempts, which is third in the majors. He was on pace for 77 steals this season despite not making his Rays debut until April 17th. The Rays are 21-15 since Simpson debuted, sparking this team with speed and hustle.
Thursday night, in the Rays’ 13-1 win, Simpson single-handedly scored a run. He walked, stole two bases, and scored on a throwing error. Yet, the Rays continue to keep players on the roster who can’t hit their weight: Taylor Walls, Curtis Mead, Morel, etc.
The Rays did get rid of one of the inept offensive players, designating catcher Ben Rortvedt for assignment, who was hitting .095 in 63 at-bats.
This kind of decision can cause a team to lose confidence in upper management, keeping guys on the roster and taking the spot of someone more deserving.
As Johnny DeLuca, Travis Jankowski, and Richie Palocios return from the DL, more tough decisions are going to have to be made.
Chandler Simpson will be back with the big league club at some point. He is too good of a player to languish at AAA Durham. Let’s hope it is sooner rather than later.
According to Kevin Cash, the plan is to have Simpson play every day at Durham to refine his defensive skills. “There’s probably some specifics that we talked about: defense, seeing more balls, his route efficiency,” he said. “Certainly at the plate, we really like his approach. He’s a guy that has shown the ability to probably walk more than strike out.”
“I think him getting down there and getting some regularity to his playing time down there is only going to help him.”