But while his centerfield defense remained strong, he has struggled mightily at the plate, hitting .148 with two homers, 11 RBIs and a .425 OPS over his last 45 games. Overall, Misner, 27, is batting .213 with a .618 OPS.<\/p>\n
Simpson, considered by many the fastest player in the game, had a significant impact when first called up in mid-April. Though he hit .285 and stole 19 bases in 22 chances, the Rays sent him back to Triple A<\/a> on May 30 when Jake Mangum \u2014 a third rookie outfielder \u2014 returned from the injured list.<\/p>\n The Rays wanted Simpson to improve his play in the outfield, where he was moved from center to left, and to find ways to get on base more, noting his .315 on-base percentage and a strikeout\/walk ratio of 14\/6.<\/p>\n Simpson, 24, certainly addressed the latter. <\/p>\n In 16 games for Durham in June, he hit .366 with a .416 on-base percentage as part of an .881 OPS. He stole 11 bases without being caught and struck out only eight times in 71 at-bats while drawing six walks.<\/p>\n Simpson, who went 2-for-4 and made a diving catch for the final out Sunday night in Omaha, Nebraska, hinted at the promotion earlier Monday on social media.<\/p>\n An Instagram post included video of Simpson in a Rays uniform stealing second base, to which he added a soundtrack of the Hunxho rap song, \u201cBack Again.\u201d<\/p>\n Aranda still running 3rd at 1B First baseman Jonathan Aranda remained third in the race for the starting first base spot on the American League All-Star team, with voting ending Thursday at noon. <\/p>\n Toronto\u2019s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. took over the top spot with 1,192,604 votes, with New York\u2019s Paul Goldschmidt second with 1,118,501. Aranda, who has the best offensive stats of the three, was third at 879,030. <\/p>\n Voting continues through noon Thursday, with the top two finishers advancing to a second round of voting to determine the starter. Reserves (and pitchers) are chosen via a combination of a vote by the players and selections made by Major League Baseball to fill out the 32-man roster and make sure all teams are represented.<\/p>\n Stay updated on Tampa Bay\u2019s sports scene<\/p>\n Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter<\/p>\n We\u2019ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida\u2019s college football teams every day.<\/p>\n You\u2019re all signed\u00a0up!<\/p>\n Want more of our free, weekly newsletters\u00a0in\u00a0your\u00a0inbox? Let\u2019s\u00a0get\u00a0started.<\/p>\n Explore all your options<\/a><\/p>\n Aranda is hitting .325 with eight homers, 41 RBIs and an .897 OPS. Guerrero has a .279 average, 10 homers, 39 RBIs and an .825 OPS. Goldschmidt\u2019s numbers entering Monday were .298, 8, 32, .805.<\/p>\n Among other Rays in the top 10 at their positions: Brandon Lowe was fourth among second basemen at 433,712 votes, well behind leader Gleyber Torres of Detroit at 1,133,888; Junior Caminero was sixth at third base at 297,870, with Cleveland\u2019s Jose Ramirez leading with 1,780,631; Yandy Diaz was ninth at DH at 170,504; Baltimore\u2019s Ryan O\u2019Hearn led at 937,205.<\/p>\n Bradley eyes bounce back Having lasted a total of only 9 \u2153 innings over his past three starts (and allowing 19 runs, 13 earned), Taj Bradley has a simple goal for Tuesday\u2019s start in Kansas City.<\/p>\n \u201cJust staying longer in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n Bradley said he has been working with pitching coach Kyle Snyder on \u201cstrike-ability, getting back in the zone, limiting walks and stuff like that,\u201d as well as more consistency.<\/p>\n A specific target is improving Bradley\u2019s change-up. An overall priority will be getting ahead in counts, seeking an 0-2 or 1-2 advantage.<\/p>\n Bradley said there is some benefit to having faced the Royals earlier this season. He allowed two runs over seven innings in a hard-luck loss April 29 during a three-game Kansas City sweep in Tampa.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re just continuing to work on cleaning up all the pitches,\u201d manager Kevin Cash said. \u201cSo, we\u2019ll see on Tuesday.\u201d<\/p>\n Miscellany<\/p>\n Starting Tuesday, the Rays will play 35 of their next 47 games on the road, with only 12 home games until Aug. 19. … Several Rays will enter play Tuesday on hitting streaks: Diaz, 13 games; Brandon Lowe, 11; Mangum, 10. … Curtis Mead has reached base in nine consecutive plate appearances, one shy of the team record. … Infielder Ha-Seong Kim (right shoulder surgery) is expected to continue his second phase of rehab with Triple-A Durham this week. … The Rays are 7-1-2 in their last 10 series. <\/p>\n \u2022 \u2022 \u2022<\/p>\n Sign up for our Sports Today newsletter<\/a> to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.<\/p>\n Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast<\/a> to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports.<\/p>\n Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on X<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\nRays first baseman Jonathan Aranda runs to second base after hitting a double Saturday against the Detroit Tigers in Tampa. [\u00a0LUIS SANTANA | Times\u00a0]<\/p>\n
Rays pitcher Taj Bradley has a simple goal for Tuesday\u2019s start in Kansas City: \u201cJust staying longer in the game.\u201d [\u00a0LUIS SANTANA | Times\u00a0]<\/p>\n