Rays Star Duo Makes History Sweeping AL Monthly Awards
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The Tampa Bay Rays have been on fire recently, getting their season back on track after hitting a lull for a few weeks.
Entering play on July 3, the Rays are back in first place in the American League East, four games ahead of the New York Yankees. They are the only AL team to have reached the 50-win plateau thus far, solidifying themselves as one of the premier teams in baseball.
Clicking on all cylinders, Tampa Bay is receiving incredible production from players up and down the roster. However, there are a few players who have taken their level of play to a completely different level to help the team win on the field.
Starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen and third baseman Junior Caminero have made franchise history, becoming the first Rays duo to sweep the AL Player of the Month Awards with their performance in June.
Drew Rasmussen, Junior Caminero win AL Player of Month Awards
Rasmussen was dominant on the mound for the last month. He made five starts, going 3-2 despite owning a 0.82 ERA across 33 innings, allowing only three earned runs. 39 strikeouts were racked up compared to only four walks and only one home run was hit against him.
Opposing batters managed to record only 16 hits against him in June. Rasmussen allowed an opponent slash line of .142/.192/.195, caving up every team he went up against. Against the Boston Red Sox on June 10, he recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts.
He definitely deserved the award, just like Caminero does. The slugging third baseman ended the month on a historic tear, as he got off to a painfully slow start in June but performed at such a high level the final week that he became a no-brainer for the award.
Through the first 19 games of the month, Caminero had only two home runs, producing a .268/.346/.408 slash line. While not terrible, it is certainly not at the level to which he is accustomed.
The Boys of Summer 😎 pic.twitter.com/8O9DEv7BxA
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 3, 2026
However, he turned it on down the stretch. Over the final seven games of the month, Caminero had a .481/.548/1.370 slash line, launching eight home runs and recording 18 RBI. He struck out as many times (4) as he drew walks (4) during that stretch.
That hot streak gave Caminero a .327/.402/.673 slash line for the month with 10 home runs, four doubles and 24 RBI. He made all kinds of history with the six-game home run streak that he produced and is continuing to ascend the all-time list for home runs before turning 23 years old.
As long as Rasmussen and Caminero are playing at this level, Tampa Bay is going to be a hard team to beat.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.