Mangum, Williams, Simpson & Driscoll among Rays Moves
With less than 13 days until Opening Night at the DBAP, the Durham Bulls' initial 2025 roster appear to be taking shape as the Tampa Bay Rays made several moves affecting their MLB spring training roster. Outfielders Jake Mangum and Kameron Misner, along with catcher Logan Driscoll, plus right-handers Cole
With less than 13 days until Opening Night at the DBAP, the Durham Bulls' initial 2025 roster appear to be taking shape as the Tampa Bay Rays made several moves affecting their MLB spring training roster. Outfielders Jake Mangum and Kameron Misner, along with catcher Logan Driscoll, plus right-handers Cole Sulser and Jacob Waguespack were optioned to Durham's roster, while infielder Carson Williams, outfielder Chandler Simpson, and catcher Kenny Piper were reassigned to minor league camp.
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Mangum, the 2024 International League Batting Champion, spent all of last year with the Bulls, batting .317 (126-398) with 57 runs, 30 doubles, one triple, six homers and 56 RBI across 104 games. The Mississipi State University alum was acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a December 2023 trade from the Miami Marlins.
Williams, the ninth-best overall prospect and top Rays prospect according to MLB.com, is likely to begin the 2025 campaign in Durham after spending all of 2024 with Double-A Montgomery. In 115 games with the Biscuits, the 21-year-old hit .256 (111-433) with 83 runs, 20 doubles, six triples, 20 homers and 69 RBI. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, California.
Misner earned 2024 Durham Most Valuable Player honors as selected by the Rays Baseball Operations Department after compiling a .248 average (109-439) with 77 runs, 26 doubles, four triples, 17 homers and 55 RBI in 113 games. He also made his Major League debut with the Rays, playing in eight contests with Tampa Bay last year. The 27-year-old was acquired by the Rays in a November 30, 2021 trade from the Miami Marlins.
Simpson is considered one of the fastest players in baseball, and stole 104 bases in 121 attempts between High-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery, the most by any minor league player since Billy Hamilton in 2012. The 24-year-old Simpson also paced all minor leaguers with a .355 batting average (160-451), adding 90 runs, 14 doubles, one triple, one homer and 29 RBI. The Georgia native was selected by Tampa Bay as the 70th overall pick in the Compensation B Round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Georgia Tech.
Driscoll spent most of the 2024 season with Durham, batting .292 (76-260) with 40 runs, 24 doubles, one triple, seven homers and 37 RBI in 70 contests. He also made his Major League debut with the Rays in 2024, appearing in 15 contests. The 27-year-old was acquired by Tampa Bay as part of a February 8, 2020 trade from San Diego.
Sulser has pitched for Durham in 70 games across three different seasons in 2019, 2023, and 2024, and posted a 1-0 record and 2.08 ERA (13.0 IP) with 11 strikeouts and two walks across nine outings last year after being acquired in a trade from the New York Mets on July 26, 2024. The California native was originally selected by Cleveland in the 25th round of the 2013 MLB Draft.
Waguespack appeared in nine games, including four starts, with the Bulls last season, accumulating a 1-1 record and 5.32 ERA (22.0 IP) with 32 strikeouts and five walks. The right-hander also appeared in four games, including one start, with Tampa Bay last season, posting no record and 5.40 ERA (10.0 IP) with 11 strikeouts and ten walks. The 31-year-old was signed by Tampa Bay as a minor league free agent on January 15, 2024.
Piper played in 29 games with the Bulls last year, batting .188 (19-101) with 18 runs, five doubles, five homers and 17 RBI after beginning the year with Double-A Montgomery. The 26-year-old was selected by Tampa Bay in the 18th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Columbia College in Missouri.
Tampa Bay Rays Major League Camp continues on this month, with the final Spring Training game slated for Tuesday, March 25. The Durham Bulls' roster will very likely not be known until after that date.
After beginning the 2025 campaign with a three-game road series in Norfolk, the Bulls open their home slate at the DBAP on Tuesday, April 1 with a six-game homestand against the defending Triple-A National Champion Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm.
Tickets for that game and all 75 home games are now available and can be purchased by clicking here.
Bulls Split Thursday Twinbill With Sounds
The Durham Bulls scored six times in its last at-bat in game two to tie the game, then scored three times in the eighth to beat the Nashville Sounds 9-7 to earn a doubleheader split at First Horizon Park on Thursday night. After its offense was dormant for 13 innings,
Durham Defeats Nashville 4-2 In Ten
Coco Montes singled home the go-ahead run in the 10th inning to lead the Durham Bulls past the Nashville Sounds 4-2 on Tuesday night at First Horizon Park. After the Bulls (14-8) tied the game with two runs in the eighth, Montes grounded a single to right field to bring
Barrera Blasts Bulls Past RailRiders With 4-3 Walk-Off Win
Bulls catcher Tres Barrera blasted a walk-off home run in the ninth inning to give Durham a 4-3 victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Sunday evening at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Bulls center fielder Tristan Peters reached base three times with two hits, including his first home run of the
Three Bulls Pitchers Combine To No-Hit RailRiders in 4-0 Win
Joe Boyle, Cole Sulser and Jacob Waguespack combined to throw the seventh no-hitter in Durham Bulls Triple-A franchise history, blanking the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 4-0 before 8,440 fans at the DBAP on Saturday night. Boyle (W, 1-1) worked six hitless frames against Scranton (11-8) in his first start since tossing five-plus
Scranton Defeats Durham 5-0
Three Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout as the RailRiders defeated the Durham Bulls 5-0 in front of a paid attendance of 8,642 at the DBAP on Friday night. Allan Winans worked three-plus scoreless, with Sean Boyle (W, 2-2) working five shutout frames to lead the RailRiders (11-7) to
Bulls Bash RailRiders 7-1
Tanner Murray and Bob Seymour went back-to-back in the second inning to lead the Durham Bulls past the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 7-1 on Thursday night at the DBAP. After scoring twice in the opening inning against RailRiders starter Jake Woodford (L, 0-1), Murray and Seymour each hit their fourth homers of
Bulls Top RailRiders With 4-3 Comeback Win
Jamie Westbrook homered to tie the game, then drew a bases loaded walk to propel the Durham Bulls past the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 4-3 at the DBAP on Wednesday night. Trailing 2-0 in the fourth, the Bulls (10-7) began their march back against Scranton (10-6). Bob Seymour hit a solo homer
RailRiders Beat Bulls 9-1
Erick Leal tossed one-run ball over 6 1/3 innings to lead the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders past the Durham Bulls 9-1 at the DBAP on Tuesday afternoon. Leal (W, 1-2), who hadn't pitched in affiliated ball since 2019, earned his first Triple-A win by allowing just four hits and one walk. The
Buffalo Defeats Durham 5-3
Rainer Nunez singled home the tie-breaking run in the Buffalo sixth to lift the Bisons past the Durham Bulls on Sunday afternoon 5-3 at Sahlen Field. The Bulls (9-6) took a 2-0 lead in the third on a two-run homer by Tanner Murray, but were held hitless from the fourth
Bulls Sweep Bisons In Saturday Twinbill
Carson Williams connected on his first Triple-A home run to catapult the Durham Bulls to a doubleheader sweep over the Buffalo Bisons on Saturday afternoon at Sahlen Field. After Durham (9-5) won the opener 4-1 behind a solid start by Logan Workman (W, 2-0) and Tres Barrera home run, Williams
Bisons Best Bulls 8-5
Buffalo scored three times in the eighth to snap a 5-5 tie and defeat the Durham Bulls 8-5 at Sahlen Field on Friday night. After recording the first out of the inning, Bulls reliever Paul Gervase (L, 0-1) permitted the next four batters to reach, including Ali Sanchez, who lashed
Bulls Split Twinbill In Buffalo
Kenny Piper clubbed a three-run homer in the opener of a chilly doubleheader, leading the Durham Bulls to a split with the Buffalo Bisons on Wednesday night at Sahlen Field. After Tuesday's postponement, Wednesday's twinbill started at 4:35 PM in 37 degree conditions, ending at 9:25 PM at 34 degrees.
Bulls Blank Space Cowboys With 6-0 Win
Joe Boyle and three Durham relievers combined on a six-hit shutout as the Bulls defeated the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 6-0 on Sunday afternoon at the DBAP. Boyle tossed four scoreless innings, stranding seven baserunners, then turned the game over to Garrett Acton (W, 1-0), Jonathan Hernandez and Cole Sulser
Bulls Walk-Off With 2-1 Win In Eleven
Tristan Peters singled home Coco Montes in the 11th inning to lift the Durham Bulls past the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 2-1 at the DBAP on Saturday night. The Bulls (5-3) won the game on Peters' single, which was Durham's second hit of the entire game. Kenny Piper tied the
Sugar Land Leaps Past Durham 7-1
Shay Whitcomb connected for a pair of solo home runs to lead Sugar Land past the Durham Bulls 7-1 at the DBAP on Thursday night. Whitcomb, who tied for the minor league lead in home runs in 2023, hit his first of the season in the sixth against Bulls reliever
Seymour Slams Bulls Past Space Cowboys 6-1
Bob Seymour drilled a grand slam in the fifth while Chandler Simpson tripled home two runs in the eighth to lift the Durham Bulls past the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 6-1 on Wednesday night at the DBAP. Durham (3-2) built a four-run frame in the fifth with two outs and
Space Cowboys Best Bulls 2-0
Shay Whitcomb doubled in the game's only two runs in the third inning as the Sugar Land Space Cowboys defeated the Durham Bulls in Durham's 2025 home opener on Tuesday night. Whitcomb's double came after a pair of two-out walks by Joe Boyle (L, 0-1). The hit by the Space
Norfolk Defeats Durham 8-2
The Norfolk Tides scored six times in the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie en route to an 8-2 win over the Durham Bulls on Sunday afternoon at Harbor Park. Luis Vazquez tripled in two tie-breaking runs against reliever Joey Gerber (L, 0-2), then Gunnar Henderson drilled an opposite-field
Bulls Topple Tides 9-3
For the second night in a row, the Durham Bulls scored nine runs, six of them unearned, to defeat the Norfolk Tides 9-3 at Harbor Park on Saturday night. Durham (2-0) scored in the opening inning for the second consecutive game, this time thanks entirely to speedster Chandler Simpson. Simpson
Bulls Roll Tides 9-2 In 2025 Opener
Tanner Murray and Eloy Jimenez each drove in three runs, while Ian Seymour tossed five scoreless innings to lead the Durham Bulls past the Norfolk Tides 9-2 on Opening Night at Harbor Park. Leading 3-0 in the fifth, Murray drilled a two-run homer against Tides reliever Corbin Martin, sparking a
Bulls Announce 2025 Opening Day Roster
The Durham Bulls, in conjunction with the Tampa Bay Rays, have announced their Opening Day roster for the 2025 season. Headlining the initial 2025 roster are infielder Carson Williams, rated the Top Shortstop Prospect, in addition to the ninth-best overall prospect in baseball and top Rays prospect by MLB.com, as
Bulls Announce New Partnership with RapidScale, A Cox Company
The Durham Bulls today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Raleigh headquartered managed cloud services company RapidScale to promote job opportunities to local graduates. The partnership will include multiple events targeted at graduates interested in pursuing careers in the technology industry. “This one is special. For the first time ever,
Champ Announced As Bat Dog For 2025 Season
The Durham Bulls today announced that Champ, the younger brother of Ripken The Bat Dog, will take over as the team’s bat dog at select games for the 2025 season. “We are very excited for Champ to continue Ripken’s legacy at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, and cannot wait to see
Bulls Announce 2025 Promotions Schedule
The Durham Bulls today announced their promotions for the upcoming 2025 season, which will mark the 30 years since Durham Bulls Athletic Park opened on April 6, 1995. Single-game tickets for all 75 home dates are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here. The 2025 season features