Rays' Junior Caminero Joins Johnny Bench in Accomplishing Impressive Feat

What feat was Junior Caminero able to recently accomplish?

Jun 28, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) reacts after hitting a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth inning at Tropicana Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Following a tough stretch, the Tampa Bay Rays have been getting back on track of late and are coming off a good week. 

The Rays have without a doubt been one of the biggest surprises in all of baseball this season. Not too many would have predicted that Tampa Bay would be able to hold on to the best record in the American League a few months into the season, or have the best record in what was supposed to be one of the toughest divisions in all of baseball. 

However, the Rays got off to a good start, led by a solid trio both in their starting rotation and their lineup. While the Rays do need to make some improvements before the trade deadline, this is a team that appears to be a playoff contender at the halfway point. 

With the team needing to get out of a bit of a funk of late, Tampa Bay received some excellent production from their star slugger Junior Caminero. The third baseman had his breakout year in 2025 and has been able to arguably be even better this season. 

Following his best week of the season, he was able to join Hall of Famer catcher Johnny Bench with an impressive feat over a four-game span. 

Caminero Joins Johnny Bench With an Impressive Feat 

There have been two 4-game spans in the live-ball era (since 1920) by a player 22 or younger with 6+ HR and as many walks drawn as strikeouts.

They were by Johnny Bench (July 24-27, 1970) and Junior Caminero over his last four games. pic.twitter.com/G8zeqAXw6T

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) June 29, 2026

Caminero joining a player the caliber of Bench is a really great accomplishment, and his play last week was key for Tampa Bay to turn things around. During the four-game stretch, the young slugger was able to total six home runs and drew as many walks as strikeouts. Since 1920, he and Bench were the only players either 22 years old or younger to be able to accomplish that. 

With his birthday coming in a few days, Caminero was just able to match the impressive feat of Bench. So far this season, the slugger has slashed .292/.384/.548 with 22 home runs and 49 RBI. 

The numbers are up across the slash line for Caminero, and that is really encouraging to see. At just 22 years old, he has quickly emerged as one of the best hitters in the game, and he has been key for the success of Tampa Bay. 

While it is going to be hard to top his 2025 campaign, he is well on his way with a great first half of the season. Furthermore, as he matches Bench in an impressive feat, he is building a great resume already.