Simpson is not in the Rays' starting lineup against the Guardians on Friday.
After going 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Thursday's series opener, Simpson will be on the bench for the beginning of Friday's contest while Richie Palacios starts in left field and bats in the leadoff spot. In the 26 games since returning from the 10-day IL in early August, Simpson has slashed .277/.308/.339 with seven steals, two triples, 14 runs and seven RBI in 117 plate appearances.
Fairbanks allowed two earned runs on two hits and struck out one across one inning Thursday against the Guardians.
Fairbanks entered the game in the ninth inning with a four-run lead and gave up home runs to the first two batters he faced. He settled in to help the Rays secure the win, but his performance has been a mixed bag lately. Fairbanks has an impressive 23:0 K:BB across his last 16.1 innings, but he's allowed six home runs (3.3 HR/9) in that span.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: Solid performance against Guardians
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Morel went 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored Thursday against the Guardians.
Morel continues to start exclusively against left-handed pitchers while primarily hitting fifth. He's hit well in that limited role, collecting multiple hits in three of his last five starts, including four runs scored and two doubles.
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Rays' Ian Seymour: Working as bulk reliever
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Seymour will work as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Grffin Jax in Friday's game against the Guardians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Seymour worked as a multi-inning reliever to begin his major-league tenure but has made traditional starts in both of his last two appearances. He'll likely take over in the second or third inning of Friday's game once Jax exits the contest and will be the Rays pitcher most likely to factor into any decision. As a traditional starter, Seymour has allowed one earned run with a 16:2 K:BB across 10 innings.
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Rays' Griffin Jax: Opening Friday's game
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Jax will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher in Friday's game against the Guardians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Jax has worked primarily in high-leverage spots all season, and that has continued since he joined the Rays at the trade deadline. However, he's struggled to a 7.20 ERA and 1.80 WHIP across 10 innings with Tampa Bay, so working as an opener could prove to be a bit of a reset for the right-hander. Jax will likely only work an inning or two before giving way to Ian Seymour, who is expected to work in bulk relief.
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Rays' Ryan Pepiot: Twirls five no-hit innings in win
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Pepiot (11-10) earned the win Thursday against the Guardians, allowing no hits and two walks in five shutout innings. He struck out six.
Although Pepiot had a 5.88 ERA over his first six starts following the All-Star break, he's become locked in on the bump since then. The 28-year-old right-hander has permitted zero runs on two hits across his past three outings, and he's now lasted at least five innings in all but three of his 29 appearances this season. Pepiot owns a 3.59 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 161:57 K:BB over 163 frames, and he'll attempt to extend his scoreless streak in what shapes up as a soft matchup against the last-place White Sox next week.
Rays manager Kevin Cash announced Thursday that Walls will miss the rest of the season after undergoing sports hernia surgery, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
Walls had been out since Aug. 9 with a left groin strain and saw a specialist Wednesday after still feeling discomfort, which ultimately led to him getting the surgery. With his season now done, the 29-year-old finished his fifth year in the majors with a career high .220 batting average across 317 plate appearances.
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Rays' T.J. Nichols: Dominating to close 2025
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Nichols has a 1.44 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 26:5 K:BB in 25 innings over four starts for Double-A Montgomery.
The 6-foot-5 righty was promoted from High-A Bowling Green on Aug. 5 after logging a 3.63 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 119:21 K:BB in 96.2 innings for the Hot Rods. Nichols has three double-digit strikeout games this season, including 10 Ks in seven innings of one-run ball in his most recent start Aug. 28 against Biloxi. He doesn't have pronounced splits and his changeup seems to have emerged as a viable third pitch to go with his above-average fastball and plus slider. The Rays don't typically rush pitchers to the big-league rotation, so Nichols, who doesn't need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason, will probably spend most or all of 2026 in the upper minors.
Diaz went 5-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Wednesday's 9-4 win over the Mariners.
The veteran infielder set a new career high with five hits, continuing a scorching run at the plate, as the 34-year-old has gone 28-for-70 (.400) since Aug 11. Wednesday's career-best effort also helped boost Diaz's season slash line to .294/.353/.479 with 22 home runs, 76 RBI and 68 runs scored across 569 plate appearances, as he closes in on career high totals in both homers and RBI.
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Rays' Adrian Houser: Fans season-high eight in win
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Houser (8-4) earned the win over the Mariners on Wednesday, allowing four runs on four hits and one walk while striking out eight over seven innings.
Houser cruised through the first five frames and allowed just one baserunner, but things fell apart in the sixth inning, when he surrendered all four of his runs. Despite the stumble, Houser still logged a season-high eight strikeouts and was good enough to take home the win. Since being acquired by the Rays, however, he's allowed four or more runs in four of six starts, posting a 4.91 ERA and 27:10 K:BB across 33 innings during that stretch. The 32-year-old will look to replicate the strong early innings from Wednesday's outing in his next scheduled start against his former team, the White Sox.
The Rays promoted Urbina from Single-A Charleston to High-A Bowling Green on Wednesday.
Urbina needed a couple years in pro ball to harness his stuff, but he's broken out this season as a 19-year-old at the Single-A level. He logged a 2.05 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 96:30 K:BB in a career-high 92.1 innings across 19 starts.
Walls (groin) will see a specialist Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
Walls has been sidelined since Aug. 12 and had recently begun running and strength exercises. However, he felt discomfort and will now seek additional medical evaluation. The results should provide clarity on whether Walls can return this season, though he doesn't appear to be close to activation.
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Rays' Jonathan Aranda: Resumes swinging
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Aranda (wrist) has resumed swinging a bat, but his wrist is still not fully healed, MLB.com reports.
Aranda has been out for a month due to a fractured wrist, and the symptoms have recently improved. He's set to see a doctor Sept. 10, which should clarify whether he has a chance to return this season. If Aranda does get back in the lineup, it will likely only be for the final few games.
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Rays' Chandler Simpson: Tallies 39th stolen base
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Simpson went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base Tuesday against the Mariners.
Simpson was the catalyst for the Rays' offense in the seventh inning, when he reached base on an infield single, stole third base and then came around to score the eventual game-winning run. This marked his first stolen base in seven starts, but he now has 39 total bags on the season in only 89 games. Simpson has also led off 17 straight contests for the Rays, scoring 11 runs and driving in six in that span.
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Rays' Yandy Diaz: Scores twice Tuesday
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Diaz went 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored Tuesday against the Mariners.
Diaz reached base on a walk in both the first and seventh innings while coming around to score on each occasion. He's reached base multiple times in 15 of his last 25 starts dating back to Aug. 1. In that span, he's hit .302 with four home runs, 14 RBI and 14 runs scored while maintaining an .856 OPS.
