Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero is not in Tampa Bay's lineup for Saturday night in Arlington against right-hander Jacob deGrom and the Rangers. There are no reports of an injury for Caminero, so it's likely just a routine day off for the 21-year-old, who has appeared in all seven games for the Rays this season. He has gone 7-for-25 (.280) with a double, two walks, and an RBI. He has yet to record a barrel, and his hard-hit rate is down from last year, but there's no cause for alarm just yet. The team will remain committed to playing him most days at the hot corner, but Curtis Mead will start in his place on Saturday.
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (back) returned to the starting lineup on Sunday afternoon. Caminero was placed in the three-hole and covered the hot corner. The budding star exited Thursday's contest early due to back tightness but was cleared to return just days after the injury. This suggests the injury was not serious and the team held him out of action out of precaution. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status in case he faces a setback. Last season, the 21-year-old logged a career-high 43 games in the majors. He held a .248/.299/.424 slash line with nine doubles and six long balls. In 53 games at Triple-A, Caminero went deep 13 times and held a .276/.331/.498 slash line. He is expected to be the team's everyday third baseman in the regular season.
Updating a previous report, Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said third baseman Junior Caminero (back) had "just a little tight back" and is "probably very day-to-day" after he was pulled early from Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Cash also added that the team doesn't expect Caminero "to miss too much time." Fantasy managers that already invested in the 21-year-old as a prime breakout candidate in 2025 can breathe a sigh of relief. Barring a setback with his back, Caminero should be fine for Opening Day later this month. Entering Thursday's game, the Dominican infielder has gone 4-for-17 (.235) with three home runs, a triple, eight RBI and four runs scored in six spring training games. He's fully expected to be Tampa's starting third baseman all year and has massive power upside.
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (back) left Thursday's Grapefruit League contest against the Philadelphia Phillies with what the team is calling lower-back tightness, per the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin. Before being pulled, Caminero struck out in both of his plate appearances. Although the Rays may just be being extra cautious with one of their best young players in spring training, fantasy managers everywhere are holding their breathe that one of the most popular breakout players for 2025 will be alright. The 21-year-old is ranked as the No. 7 fantasy third baseman this year despite having played in only 50 major-league games for the Rays the last two seasons. Caminero won't be immune to more growing pains this year, but the upside is undeniable for his raw power in his first full season in the big leagues. Check back for an update on the severity of Caminero's back injury soon.
Junior Caminero Blasts Two-Run Shot As Part Of Three-Hit Day
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero had a huge day at the plate, racking up three hits and three RBI in the Rays' 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. Caminero blasted his sixth HR of the season off Red Sox start Kutter Crawford, a two-run shot in the third inning. He added an RBI single in the fifth and another single in the seventh to collect his third hit and improve his OPS to .741 on the season. The 21-year-old has been a mainstay at third base for the Rays since his promotion in August. Tampa's No. 1 prospect has seen fairly true results with his .303 wOBA balancing out with his .302 xwOBA. Dynasty managers with Caminero on the roster should expect him to continue to get starts at third base and DH in the 2025 season, giving him plenty of solid value. He'll look to finish his season strong on Sunday against the Red Sox who have yet to name a starter.
Tampa Bay Rays infield prospect Junior Caminero is getting a day of rest on Thursday against the division-rival Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. This will be Caminero's second day off since the Rays called him up in the middle of last month. Caminero came up for just seven games to make his major-league debut last year. He's had a little more run in the big leagues in 2024 after dealing with some injuries in the minors earlier this year. In his 34 games played for Tampa this year, he is hitting .248/.312/.411 with a .723 OPS, four home runs, seven doubles, a triple, 14 RBI and two steals in 141 plate appearances. The 21-year-old Dominican is a big part of the team's future and should be a lineup regular from Day 1 in 2025. With Caminero out on Thursday, Jose Caballero is at third and batting sixth, while Taylor Walls starts at short and bats eighth against Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello.
Junior Caminero Homers Saturday In 11-4 Victory Over Padres
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero homered and knocked in three on Saturday, leading the Rays to an 11-4 win over the San Diego Padres. Caminero connected on his third home run off starter Randy Vazquez. The young rookie is now hitting .254 with three home runs, seven RBI, two stolen bases and seven runs scored in 63 at-bats this season. The top prospect should continue to see daily at-bats playing third base for the Rays down the stretch of the season.
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero homered for the second consecutive game, going 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored in Saturday's 9-8 extra-innings win over the Dodgers. Caminero's 418-foot solo blast came in the ninth inning with the Rays down by a run, sending the game into extras where teammate Jose Caballero would hit a two-run shot to win it for the Rays. Caminero struck out three times in his 2024 debut, but since then he's got a 5:6 BB:K and is now slashing .308/.386/.487 with a pair of home runs in 11 games. It took forever for the Rays to call up their top prospect (MLB No. 2), but now he's doing the same thing he's been doing in the minors all season long. He should be rostered in all formats at this point.
Junior Caminero Strikes Out Three Times In Season Debut
Tampa Bay Rays third basement Junior Caminero went 1-for-4 striking out three times in his season debut as his team lost to the Houston Astros 3-2. According to the MLB Pipeline, the 21-year-old is the third-ranked prospect in baseball. He has been worthy of a call-up for a while now, as he has been slashing .277/.331/.498 with 13 homers and 34 RBI in 53 games (236 at-bats) in Triple-A. It is also worth noting that Caminero was a part of Tampa's big league roster for seven games (34 at-bats) last season, where he slashed .235/.278/.353. Caminero has a huge power bat and lots of potential. He is an absolute stash in all fantasy leagues.
The Tampa Bay Rays are calling up infield prospect Junior Caminero, according to sources, and he will join the team on Tuesday before their game against the visiting Houston Astros. Caminero is Tampa's top prospect and the No. 2 overall prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline, and should immediately picked up by fantasy managers in leagues where he wasn't already being stashed. The 21-year-old made his big-league debut in 2023 but only appeared in seven games, going 8-for-34 (.235) with a homer, a double and seven RBI. He recently returned to Triple-A Durham at the end of July after being out since late May with a Grade 2 left-quadriceps strain and has slashed .277/.331/.498 with an .828 OPS, 13 homers and 34 RBI in 53 games with the Bulls in 2024. Caminero should play regularly for the out-of-contention Rays the rest of the way at either third or shortstop, and his high-end raw power should play immediately in all fantasy leagues.
Junior Caminero
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