Simpson is indeed one of the fastest players in the game. His sprint speed of 29.6 MPH ranked in the 97th percentile, according to Statcast. Meanwhile, his 44 stolen bases in 2025 tied those of the Guardians. Jose Ramirez for second in the majors, with Simpson achieving that in 49 fewer games. That said, while he has value as a speed and contact guy, he is also limited by issues on base and defensively. His glovework in the field was negatively rated in 2025 by defense runs saved (-9) and outs above average (-5). Lingering hamstring issues could hamper his defense even more, so it makes sense for the Rays to ease him into action.
A few other injury updates around the game:
- Rangers infielder Cody Vrijman will be out for four to six weeks due to a lower back fracture, according to the manager Skip Schumaker (link via Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News). Freeman felt some discomfort a few days ago that lingered until yesterday, when scans revealed the fracture. The 25-year-old made his big league debut last year, although his slashing of .228/.258/.342 in 121 at bats was disappointing. He did much better at Triple-A, scoring 31% better than average at wRC+. Freeman was expected to compete for an opening day spot but will now be out until the end of March at best. He will be re-evaluated at that time and will obviously need time to get going, so he won’t be ready for Opening Day.
- Marlins right-handed Janson Junk rolled his ankle during team practices earlier this week. After testing, he was diagnosed with a grade 1 sprain, although he is now out of his walking boot and playing catch (video from Christina De Nicola of MLB.com). For his part, Junk said Thursday he doesn’t expect to miss multiple weeks. The 30-year-old impressed in the swingman role last year, posting 2.5 fWAR in 110 innings thanks to his sweeper (+8 run value per Statcast) and a microscopic 2.9% walk rate. So far he had built himself up as a starter. Manager Clayton McCullough confirmed this is still the case and the team will do so.Just look at how this setback… affects what he can ultimately accomplish at the end of camp”(link via De Nicola).
- White Sox outfielder Everson Pereira is currently daily with tightness on the right side, per James Fegan of Sox Machine. The 24-year-old was acquired in a four-player trade with the Rays in November, with the team parting ways with a solid reliever in Steven Wilson. On that basis, the team was expected to add the out-of-options Pereira to the roster as a backup outfielder. That could still be the case as Pereira is just an everyday occurrence and not on the injured list. Luisangel Acuna is also present, although he will split time between the infield and outfield and should not impact Pereira’s roster spot if he is healthy by the end of camp.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
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