Tampa Bay Rays Slugger Junior Caminero Makes History Ahead of All-Star Break
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Junior Caminero hit his first home run of July on Wednesday, making history in the process.
The Tampa Bay Rays third baseman went 2-for-5 with a solo homer against the Detroit Tigers, helping his team avoid the sweep with a decisive 7-2 victory. The 22-year-old former top prospect is now batting .254 with 22 home runs, 19 doubles, a .798 OPS and a 1.7 WAR on the season.
According to Underdog Fantasy's Justin Havens, Caminero is the fifth player in MLB history to have at least 22 home runs prior to the All-Star break in their age-21 season or younger. Caminero just narrowly fits that criteria, as he didn't turn 22 until July 5.
Mel Ott, Eddie Matthews, José Canseco and Cody Bellinger are the only others to achieve the feat, accomplishing it in 1929, 1953, 1986 and 2017, respectively.
Junior Caminero is the 5th player in MLB history to have 22+ HR by the All-Star Break in his age-21 season or younger, joining Mel Ott (1929), Eddie Mathews (1953), José Canseco (1986) and Cody Bellinger (2017).
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) July 10, 2025
Caminero is set to serve as the American League's starting third baseman at the MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta next week, as Cleveland Guardians star José Ramírez opted out to prepare for the second half. Caminero is also going to be the youngest participant in the Home Run Derby the day before the Midsummer Classic itself.
Before the break, though, Caminero and the Rays have a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox scheduled to get underway Thursday night. First pitch for the opener is on the books for 7:10 p.m. ET.
Related Rays stories
- RAYS AVOID SWEEP: Seven different Tampa Bay hitters drove in a run and the beleaguered Rays bullpen got the final 10 outs without allowing a run in a 7-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. CLICK HERE
- SPEEDY SIMPSON: Since his return from Triple-A Durham, Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Chandler Simpson has been an offensive force to be reckoned with. Now, he's on the cusp of breaking records. CLICK HERE
- DYNAMIC DUO: The Tampa Bay Rays already boast two players with at least 18 home runs between Junior Caminero and Brandon Lowe, giving them one of the most powerful duos in franchise history. CLICK HERE
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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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