Mullins' impressive showing on basepaths, with glove hints at change in luck 

MINNEAPOLIS -- When the Rays signed Cedric Mullins to a one-year contract over the winter (with an option for 2027), they were looking for a guy who could get on base, steal bags and play lockdown defense in center field.

It’s been a slow start to Mullins’ Rays career, but on Saturday he showed signs that his fortunes might be turning.

Mullins had two hits, stole two bases and scored two runs as the Rays beat the Twins, 7-1, at Target Field.

“Definitely his best day,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Good day at the plate. Sometimes when you’ve got that speed, you can use it to your advantage.”

Cash has said it was just a matter of time before Mullins would turn it around and start looking like the player the Rays thought they were getting when they signed the 31-year-old veteran, who spent 7 1/2 seasons with the Orioles before a midseason trade to the Mets last year.

Cash pointed to Mullins’ final at-bat of Friday’s 10-4 loss to the Twins. Mullins worked the count full against lefty Anthony Banda before grounding an RBI single up the middle, snapping an 0-for-12 skid that saw his average dip to an unsightly .042.

“I was happy that he was able to get a hit in that rain yesterday -- that didn't seem like a fun at-bat, but he picked up a hit and got an RBI because of it,” Cash said. “Hopefully that puts him in a good direction moving forward.”

In the third inning on Saturday, with the Rays leading 3-0, Mullins did what speedsters have done for ages to break out of a slump: He led off with a perfectly placed bunt down the third-base line. Mullins immediately stole second, moved to third on Chandler Simpson’s sharp single to right and scampered home when Ben Williamson grounded into a double play.

Using the bunt as a slump-buster has been on Mullins’ mind, he said, but the opportunity hadn’t presented itself yet this year.

“Sometimes it does start with bunts,” Mullins said. ”I’ve 100% thought about it a lot. I've had a lot of opportunities with two men in scoring position, so I wanted to see if I could ground out or something like that. I had a lot of leadoff moments today in the game, so I was able to find a way to get on base and create some havoc.”

The fifth inning was almost a carbon copy of the third. This time, Mullins lined the ball up the middle for a single, stole second and scored on Williamson’s single. In his next at-bat, he rifled a long fly ball to right. It was caught near the wall, but the exit velocity of 98.1 mph led Cash to call it “the best swing we’ve seen him have.”

Mullins credits getting back to the basics for the positive signs he’s seen lately.

“I’m just trying to keep the thoughts simple,” he said. “Right now, it's just being on time for the heater. Good things are happening. I’m not feeling completely there yet, but I like how I'm competitive in the box, and it's going to lead to a lot of good things.”

Oh, and don’t forget defense. The game might’ve looked a lot different if not for a play that Mullins made in the second inning. The Twins had runners on first and second with one out when Royce Lewis hit a sinking liner to center. Mullins raced in on a dead sprint and made a diving catch to keep the runners from advancing.

“That felt great,” Mullins said. “It's always a good feeling to make a play defensively, just to keep a team at bay.”

It might’ve taken him a week to find his footing, but Mullins showed on Saturday why he’s worth the wait.

“That’s what makes him such a complete player – the speed, the power, the hit ability, and certainly the defense,” Cash said. “Speed has always been a big part of his game on both sides of the ball. So when he gets on base, I think he's about as much a threat as anybody that we have.”