Junior Caminero, Brandon Lowe Make Tampa Bay Rays History With Combined Power Surge
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The Tampa Bay Rays were only able to tally one run in Sunday's finale against the Baltimore Orioles, with that lone run coming off the bat of Brandon Lowe.
The veteran second baseman prevented the shutout with a 395-foot solo home run to right-center in the top of the ninth, all while the Rays went on to lose 5-1. Still, it marked Lowe's 18th home run of the season, which ranks second on the team.
Junior Caminero still leads Tampa Bay with 20 homers, most recently hitting one Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals.
According to Underdog Fantasy's Justin Havens, Caminero and Lowe are just the third pairing of Rays teammates ever to both reach 18 home runs prior to the All-Star break in the same season. Lowe did it alongside Mike Zunino in 2021, while Jose Canseco and Fred McGriff teamed up to achieve the feat in 1999.
Junior Caminero (20 HR) and Brandon Lowe (18 HR) are the 3rd pairing in Rays franchise history to each have 18+ HR before the All-Star break:
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) June 30, 2025
Junior Caminero/Brandon Lowe (2025)
Brandon Lowe/Mike Zunino (2021)
Jose Canseco/Fred McGriff (1999)
Caminero was viewed as one of the top power-hitting prospects in baseball, so his emergence this season is a realization of those lofty expectations. In Lowe's case, his power surge is a return to form that has come right alongside a return to everyday availability.
Lowe finished both 2023 and 2024 with exactly 21 home runs, appearing in 109 and 107 games, respectively. He totaled eight home runs in 65 games in 2022.
Back in 2019, Lowe needed just 82 games to reach 17 home runs, making his first All-Star appearance in the process. He hit 14 home runs in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, then exploded with 39 home runs in 149 games in 2021.
Lowe placed top-10 in AL MVP voting in both 2020 and 2021. Between 2019 and 2021, he boasted a .526 slugging percentage, before seeing that figure drop to .440 between 2022 and 2024.
It remains to be seen if Lowe will garner that kind of end-of-season recognition in 2025, but he does have a .490 slugging percentage and .815 OPS – both of which are his highest marks since 2021. He is on pace for 35 home runs, should he stay healthy.
The Rays, who own MLB's best record since May 20 at 26-11, will host the Athletics in a series opener on Monday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. ET.
Related Rays stories
- RAYS DROP FINALE TO O'S: Throughout Dean Kremer's career, he's been tough to figure out for Tampa Bay hitters. It was more of the same Sunday as he threw seven scoreless innings in the Rays' 5-1 loss. CLICK HERE
- CAMINERO MAKES HISTORY: By reaching 20 home runs and 50 RBIs so quickly in the Tampa Bay Rays' 2025 campaign, Junior Caminero achieved a feat only seen once in the past two decades. CLICK HERE
- WANDER FRANCO SENTENCED: Franco was given a two-year suspended sentence, but reports indicate it will be hard for him to get a work visa in the United States. CLICK HERE
You can follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.
Sam Connon covers baseball for "On SI'' on the Sports Illustrated platform and is also a senior writer on "Fastball on SI'' and ''Minor League Baseball on SI.'' He previously covered UCLA Athletics for "On SI's'' All Bruins site, among others.
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