Why It Might Be Best for Rays To Sit Chandler Simpson in Postseason

The Tampa Bay Rays lost Game 1 of the American League Championship Series to the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field on Monday night. A topic of discussion that came up was Chandler Simpson and whether he should continue to start postseason games, especially against left-handers.

Sports Director at 10 Tampa Bay News, Evan Closky, believes that Simpson should not play moving forward as the postseason continues.

Closky made a great point to begin his explanation, mentioning how in the two games so far this postseason that Simpson didn’t play, his replacement hit a home run.

“He didn’t play in the final game at Yankee Stadium. In that game, Ryan Vilade hit a home run,” Closky pointed out. “He didn’t play last night, and even as a defensive replacement, Cedric Mullins hit a home run. That’s two more home runs than you wouldn’t have had if Chandler Simpson was playing all those innings.”

Does Chandler Simpson's skill set translate to playoff baseball?

Closky added:

“We don’t know what would have happened if Chandler Simpson hit, but we do know it wouldn’t have been a home run.”

While Simpson finished the 2026 regular season with a .306 batting average, the second-best average in the American League, he does not have a single home run in his entire Big League career in 260 total games.

“The fact is, what we know, is that [the Rays] got two homers because Chandler Simpson was replaced with those options,” Closky said.

Right now, the Rays are looking for an immediate impact. And sometimes, knowing that a player could change the game with one swing is more important in the playoffs. For example, Vilade’s home run in Game 3 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees came in a game in which they won by one run, 4-3.

Closky also makes the point that while Simpson’s speed is an asset that Tampa Bay could use and he can steal bases, he’s not the best at stealing against left-handed pitching. Of his 46 stolen bases during the 2026 regular season, only 13 of them were against left-handed pitchers.

Yet Vilade one of the options to play instead of Simpson, has an .818 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season, slashing .272/.341/.477 in 170 plate appearances against lefties. Additionally, in games against left-handed starters in 2026, Vidale slashed .309/.386/.530 with eight homers and a .916 OPS.

A case can be made that Simpson should be starting in the postseason, especially considering he’s a big reason why the Rays got to this point where they’re one of the final four teams standing in the league.

His contact percentage (46.1%) is one of the highest in the league, while he’s in the top 1% in swing-and-miss rate (10.4%) and strikeout rate (7.9%) in all of baseball.

While an argument could be made that Simpson’s ability to make contact, not strike out and hit for a high average earned him a spot in the starting lineup, in the postseason, his impact may not be as significant.

Especially when there are other options like Vilade, Victor Mesa Jr. and Cedric Mullins who do have the ability to hit the ball out of the park. This instant impact potential could take priority as Tampa Bay looks to bounce back from their Game 1 defeat to the Guardians.