2 Rays' players that must stand out for a sweep of the Yankees to be possible

The Yankees will be the Rays' next opponent this season and, as usual, they are finding ways to win as they hold an AL-best 8-3 record. The Rays have crouched down to the third place with their sub-.500 record, but there are plenty of reasons to believe this club can handle the Yankees like they have in the past. However, there are a few players that will need to play to their full potential.

Since 2020, the Rays hold a 45-42 record against the divisional foes from New York. That's a very impressive statistic considering the regular season success the Yankees have had over those years. They have won at least 90 games in every season since 2017 except their 82-win 2023 campaign. Therefore, it's rarely an easy series for the Rays, nevertheless any club.

It is a necessary one though. If the Rays want to end their postseason drought, then they will need to win difficult series against the best teams. A sweep of the Yankees, in particular, could catapult the Rays within a game of first place in the AL East. Meanwhile, a sweep by the hands of the enemy would likely drop the Rays into the depths of the division which would be a hole that few teams can make their way out of.

In order for Rays' fans to witness a successful weekend series, two key players will need to make their presence known in a big way. Firstly, Chandler Simpson will need to be an offensive force against Yankees' pitchers. New York pitching has allowed an MLB-best 28 runs in their 11 games to this point. It won't be an easy task to scratch runs across against this club, but Simpson's speed and contact abilities will be of a great use for this valiant attempt.

Simpson is currently the third best hitter in the majors with an impressive .391 average. His contact ability has been on full display as he has collected more stolen bases (5) than strikeouts (2). The speedy outfielder must continue this trend to disturb the Yankees' "well-oiled machine".

Yandy Diaz is the other Rays' hitter that will need to be on his A-game this weekend. Diaz is also in the top 10 for batting average for MLB sluggers so far this season. Despite this amazing start, his average in the last seven games is a mediocre .261 as he's slumped a little bit since the first few series. Similarly to Simpson, the Rays are relying on Diaz's incredible ability to reach base and make things happen offensively.