The Tampa Bay Rays called up Junior Caminero on Tuesday to face the Houston Astros.
He #2 prospect in the class of 2024 He quickly demonstrated the skill set that makes him so sought after.
Caminero, a 21-year-old third baseman, showed off his prowess at the hot corner with a line drive off Astros right fielder Mauricio Dubón in the second inning. Caminero dove to get the out on a ball that otherwise would have surely gone to extra bases and likely allowed Jake Meyers to score from first base.
Instead, he finished the entry.
At the plate, Caminero struck out in his first at-bat in the bottom of the inning, but got his first MLB hit of the season in his second at-bat on one of the hardest balls of the year.
Junior Caminero’s first hit in his return to the Show came in at 116.3 mph, one of the top 50 exit velocities recorded during the MLB season.
The MLB’s No. 2 prospect (@RaysBaseball) ranked second in Triple-A in average EV and hard-hit rate before his promotion. image.twitter.com/Fq92nf5wTX
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 14, 2024
Caminero reached first with a single off starter Yusei Kikuchi that traveled 116.3 mph from the beginning. By Baseball SavantOnly 14 players this season have hit a ball harder. He hit the ball from below the strike zone.
Will Caminero’s power help the Rays get back into the playoff race?
The hard-hit ball follows his scouting report. Ray metricsHis 57% hard-hit rate with the AAA Durham Bulls was second-best in the International League at the time of his call-up Tuesday.
This isn’t Caminero’s first season with the Rays. Tampa Bay called him up for a brief stint last season in the midst of a playoff race. He went 4-for-34 (.235) in seven regular-season games with one homer and seven RBIs. He then went hitless in two postseason at-bats in Tampa Bay’s wild-card round loss to the Texas Rangers.
This season’s call-up came with 44 games remaining and the Rays 5.5 games into the AL wild-card raceTampa Bay is unlikely to make the postseason, but Caminero’s rise makes the race more interesting.
Caminero has the power to make an instant impact at the MLB level. In 2023, he hit .324/.384/.591 with 31 homers and 94 RBIs, a big reason the Rays called him up when the stakes were highest.
Quad injuries limited him to 53 games with the Bulls this season. He has been productive when healthy, hitting .277/.331/.498 with 13 homers and 34 RBIs.
He has to adjust to his role as a pitcher in the major leagues. On Tuesday, Caminero went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts. He struck out on three pitches in each of his last two at-bats. But plate discipline was not an issue. Each of his strikes were on balls in the zone.
Houston won Tuesday’s game, 3-2.