Junior

Caminero

Both hits were very hard grounders, checking in at 114.1 and 111.7 mph respectively. Caminero hit second today, though that was with Yandy Díaz out of the lineup. He typically batted third or fourth last year, with Díaz two spots ahead of him and a lefty separating them. If the Rays stick with that, Jonathan Aranda would seem to be the favorite to bat between them.

Dominican Republic general manager Nelson Cruz and manager Albert Pujols confirmed that both infielders will be part of the club’s roster for the impending international showcase. Caminero clobbered 45 round-trippers in his full-season debut last year while Perdomo blossomed into one of the most impactful all-around shortstops in baseball, delivering a sublime 7.0-WAR age-25 campaign.

The 22-year-old slugger victimized Jays’ starter Shane Bieber for a 367-foot (106.4 mph EV) solo shot to lead off the second inning. He also drew a walk and singled in the ballgame, finishing the night 2-for-3. Caminero is now just one home run shy of Carlos Pena’s franchise record for most home runs in a single season. He’s slashing an impressive .262/.307/.536 with the aforementioned 45 long balls and 110 RBI.

As expected, the 22-year-old slugger rejoins the lineup after missing two games due to tightness in his back. He’ll take his regular position at third base and will bat third against Red Sox’ left-hander Kyle Harrison on Saturday evening in Tampa Bay. Caminero is having an outstanding season at the dish, slashing .259/.302/.537 with 44 homers and 108 RBI in 620 plate appearances.

It’s the second straight game that the 22-year-old slugger has missed since leaving Wednesday’s game with mid-back tightness. The encouraging news is that is was able to take swings in the cages prior to Friday’s game and the expectation is that he will be able to return to the Rays’ lineup on Saturday.

Caminero was feeling better this morning than last night. “I totally understand what’s at stake and that he wants to finish his season,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We’re going to balance that with how he feels. We’ll get him treatment today, and we’ll see how he is tomorrow.” Tristan Gray is starting at third base tonight.

Caminero was lifted from a tie ballgame in the seventh inning after going 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts. It sounds like a precautionary exit for the 22-year-old burgeoning superstar, but back issues can be complicated matters. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. An additional update on his status should come in prior to Thursday’s series finale.

Caminero went back-to-back with Yandy Diaz off of left-hander Shota Imanaga to start the game, with his 401-foot (110.2 mph EV) solo shot increasing the Rays’ early lead to 2-0. He also led off the third inning with a single but was erased on a fielder’s choice. The 22-year-old slugger has been an absolute monster in the second half of the season and is now slashing .262/.301/.545 with 44 home runs, 108 RBI and seven stolen bases in what has been an incredible season for fantasy purposes.

We’re running out of superlatives to describe Caminero’s exploits as he makes a serious run at a 50-homer campaign. The 22-year-old burgeoning superstar took Cubs reliever Porter Hodge deep in the eighth inning for a game-tying blast. It was his fourth round-tripper in 12 contests since the calendar flipped to September and he’s gone deep 20 times in just 51 games since the All-Star break. He’ll be a borderline first-round selection in all fantasy drafts next spring.

Caminero can’t be stopped. He’s already the fourth-youngest player to ever homer 40 times in a season and is in the midst of the best stretch of his career with a 1.005 OPS and 14 long balls in his last 30 games. That is superstar level production that could swing entire fantasy leagues if he’s able to keep it up for a few more weeks.