Junior Caminero

Junior Alberto Caminero

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 157 lb.

• Debut September 23, 2023

• Born July 5, 2003 in Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional D.R.

BR page

Biographical Information

Infielder Junior Caminero was named the Tampa Bay Rays Minor League Player of the Year the day before making his major league debut with the team on September 23, 2023. Playing that season with the High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods and the AA Montgomery Biscuits, he hit .324/.384/.591 in 117 games, with 85 runs scored, 31 homers and 94 RBIs. He was selected to play in the 2023 Futures Game and was the Player of the Month in the South Atlantic League in April and in the Southern League in July. In his debut, he was the Rays' starting DH against the Toronto Blue Jays and went 1 for 4 with a walk, scoring a run in a 6-5 win. He went 8 for 34 in 7 games (.235), with 1 homer and 7 RBIs, and 0 for 2 while appearing in both games of the Wild Card Series against the Texas Rangers.

He was originally signed by the Cleveland Indians as an international amateur free agent on July 2, 2019 but was traded to Tampa Bay on November 19, 2021 in return for P Tobias Myers. Following his big league debut, he returned to the minors at the start of the 2024 season, hitting .277 in 53 games for the AAA Durham Bulls and also appearing in 6 games for the FCL Rays on a rehabilitation assignment. When he was called up to Tampa Bay on August 13th, he was considered the #1 prospect in the minors, with the recent promotion of Jackson Holliday to the Baltimore Orioles. He got a hit in his first game against the Houston Astros, but also struck out three times. However he quickly settled into a regular job at third base, and on August 23-24, he homered on back-to-back days against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Further Reading

• Adam Berry: "Rays promote 'a special talent' in top prospect Caminero", mlb.com, September 22, 2023. [1]
• Adam Berry: "Rays call up No. 2 overall prospect Caminero", mlb.com, August 13, 2024. [2]
• Adam Berry: "Junior's ascent: Caminero ready for spotlight as MLB's top prospect", mlb.com, August 29, 2024. [3]
• Sam Dykstra: "What to expect from Junior Caminero in the Majors", mlb.com, September 22, 2023. [4]

Related Sites

• Junior Caminero on mlb.com