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ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Cedric Mullins of the Tampa Bay Rays bunts against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at Tropicana Field on May 16, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
Before four innings were in the books Friday evening at Tropicana Field, the Rays laid down four bunts against the Marlins. Cedric Mullins was responsible for two of them, both perfectly placed balls resulting in base hits. Two batters after his second such hit, in the fourth inning, Taylor Walls drove him home with, yes, a bunt.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose two bunts that Cedric executed, you can\u2019t defend them,\u201d said Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash, whose team is not only reinvigorating what many would say has long been the lost art of bunting, but thus far in 2026 has shortened the field and made opposing pitchers and defenses uncomfortable while compiling the American League\u2019s best record<\/a>.<\/p>\n In fact, according to Baseball Reference, the Rays headed into Saturday\u2019s play leading the American League and second in MLB (Milwaukee, 15) in bunt singles with 12. They also led the majors in sacrifice bunts with 17. Though the club\u2019s success with the small ball may not seem as sexy as the long ball, there is no lack of momentum built as a result.<\/p>\n \u201cBunting is not necessarily the easiest thing to do, so guys get hyped when they see a successful one,” said Mullins, who leads the Rays with five bunt hits. “It can be a rally starter for sure, so we have to continue to look for those opportunities and take advantage of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, it helps to have team speed. <\/p>\n \u201cIt definitely can, and it\u2019s certainly played a role in us scoring runs this season,\u201d said Cash, when asked about momentum his team has built with the bunt. \u201cBut I think it\u2019s the bunt, the execution of them and how fast these guys are getting down the line and the amount of pressure it puts on a defense.\u201d<\/p>\n Chandler Simpson ignites offense <\/p>\n An eye-opening number six weeks into the season is the Rays\u2019 total of infield hits. According to Baseball Reference, only two teams had as many as 50 entering play Saturday. Tampa Bay had 74 \u2013 74!! — in its first 43 games. <\/p>\n Speed does indeed kill, and it is certainly a disruptive force, including what it can do to the psyche of the opposition. Mullins, Walls, Jonny DeLuca, Ben Williamson and, of course, Chandler Simpson<\/a>, can motor. Simpson\u2019s 20 infield hits lead the majors. Second on the Rays with nine is Yandy Diaz. Surprising? Not when considering how the ball often comes off Diaz\u2019s bat. He has nearly maimed a number of fielders with scorching one-hoppers that might have been knocked down only for the fielder in question to fail to recover in time. <\/p>\n Maybe Diaz is a bit of an exception with how his infield have been accumulated. Alas, hard contact is a good thing. First and foremost, it comes down to making contact so that the Rays can best utilize their impressive team speed. To the extent, they have struck out the least in the American League and second fewest times in MLB. Put it all together and it is the perfect recipe for what Tampa Bay is accomplishing. <\/p>\n Not that the Rays are incapable of putting the baseball off and over the wall. Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda and Diaz can do and have done plenty of both. Caminero turned heads and inflated earned run averages by hitting 45 homers<\/a> in 2025, his first full season in the big leagues. Aranda entered play Saturday with 25 homers in his last 162 games, and Diaz blasted a career-best 25 last season. <\/p>\n \u201cWhatever we need to do to get it done,\u201d said Simpson, who swiped 44 bags as a rookie last season and had a team-leading 14 through Saturday. \u201cWe can play small ball and we can put it over the fence.\u201d<\/p>\n