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The Rays announced that they have selected the contract of outfielder Chandler Simpson<\/a>. Outfielder\u00a0<\/span>Richie Palacios<\/a> is heading back to the injured list with a right knee sprain. Right-hander\u00a0<\/span>Alex Faedo<\/a> has been transferred to the 60-day IL as the corresponding move to get Simpson onto the 40-man. Faedo started the season on the 15-day IL due to shoulder inflammation. His current status is unclear but he\u2019s now ineligible to return until late May at the earliest. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times\u00a0<\/span>reported<\/a> the<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>moves<\/a> before the official announcement.<\/p>\n Simpson, 24, is one of the most interesting prospects in baseball on account of his base-stealing acumen. The Rays drafted him with the 70th overall pick in 2022, a Competitive Balance Round B selection. In his first full professional season in 2023, he stole 81 bases in 93 attempts, appearing in just 91 games. Last year, he got into 110 minor league games and swiped 104 bags in 121 attempts. He is 8 for 11 so far here in 2025.<\/p>\n His work at the plate has been competent enough, in a powerless sort of way. He has 1,120 minor league plate appearances thus far across various levels. He has just one home run, which was of the inside-the-park variety. But has walked more than he has struck out, a 9.6% rate of free passes compared to an 8.8% rate of punchouts. That has helped him produce a bizarrely level slash line of .324\/.389\/.371. That translates to a 123 wRC+, indicating he\u2019s been 23% above league average overall.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a very intriguing combination. Many recent speed specialists have had their production undercut by an inability to put the bat on the ball and\/or get on base.\u00a0<\/span>Billy Hamilton<\/a> spent many years as baseball\u2019s fastest man, but he hit just .239\/.292\/.325 in his big league career. While he was a good bet for 50-plus steals annually and some highlight-reel catches, the lack of offense made him difficult to roster. Guys like\u00a0<\/span>Juan Pierre<\/a>, Rajai Davis<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>and Dee Strange-Gordon<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>were somewhat similar, swiping hundreds of bags but with subpar hitting.<\/p>\n If Simpson can get on base a bit more than guys in that group, perhaps he can be a bit more of a difference maker. Though even if not, a player with elite speed and can still be plenty valuable on the basepaths and in the outfield.<\/p>\n Prospect evaluators are a bit split on what kind of big league impact Simpson can make. FanGraphs<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>is one outlet that is especially bullish, as they ranked him the No. 72 prospect in all of baseball heading into this season. They noted that his contact ability is almost at the level of guys like Luis Arr\u00e1ez<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>and Steven Kwan<\/a>, though a smidge below. However, they also caution that speed-and-defense players like\u00a0<\/span>Myles Straw<\/a> and\u00a0<\/span>Nick Madrigal<\/a> offer a sort of cautionary tale of how things could go wrong for Simpson with little offensive impact.<\/p>\n The report from FanGraphs also adds that the defense is a work in progress. Simpson was a second baseman in college and is still getting used to the outfield. They note that his routes aren\u2019t always great but his speed gives him a lot of room for error. If he can continue to develop his routes, there\u2019s a tremendous ceiling there.<\/p>\n ESPN<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>gave Simpson the #91 spot heading into the season but Simpson didn\u2019t crack the top 100 with Baseball America, MLB Pipeline or Keith Law of The Athletic. BA<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>ranked him #8 in the Rays\u2019 system coming into the year, seemingly with a bit more concern about the defense and lack of power.<\/p>\n The divisive scouting reports mean that the prospect promotion incentive is not at play here. To be PPI eligible, a player must be on two of the BA\/ESPN\/MLB Pipeline lists and Simpson only cracked one. It\u2019s too late in the season now for Simpson to get a full year of service time. Even if he\u2019s up for good, he won\u2019t be able to qualify for free agency until after 2031, though he has a chance to reach arbitration after 2027 as a Super Two player.<\/p>\n The Rays have three outfielders on the IL in Palacios, Jonny DeLuca<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>and Josh Lowe<\/a>. Their outfield playing time has been going to\u00a0<\/span>Kameron Misner<\/a>, Christopher Morel<\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Jake Mangum<\/a> and\u00a0<\/span>Jos\u00e9 Caballero<\/a> lately. Simpson will slot into that group and test his mettle against big league pitching.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n