The Tampa Bay Rays bummed out a lot of baseball fans earlier this season when, after allowing MLB to see the magic that is Chandler Simpson on the basepaths, they sent him back down to Triple-A.
But on Monday, a hint emerged that the Rays are finally bringing Simpson back to the majors.
Tampa Bay announced that outfielder Kameron Misner has been optioned to Triple-A Durham. The Rays didn't announce a corresponding roster add yet, but a Simpson promotion is the most logical outcome ahead of their series against the Royals that begins on Tuesday.
Simpson is the fastest baserunner in baseball. He played 35 games for the Rays in his first stint and stole 19 bases.
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He has been red hot since going back to Durham. In his 16 games back down on the farm, Simpson has batted .366 with 11 steals.
He's not a slugger, but his base-stealing ability means that a lot of singles and walks turn into pseudo-doubles, anyway.
The Rays have the best record in baseball since May 20, at 22-9, and are 2.5 games behind the Yankees in the AL East.
Bringing Simpson up is one more step toward potentially chasing down New York. Simpson's certainly a guy you want on your side in a race.
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