Junior

Caminero

Caminero’s home run was his sixth of the year. He hit a two-run shot off Kutter Crawford in the third inning. Caminero is hitting .255 with a .741 OPS and 18 RBI heading into the last game of the regular season.

Caminero’s home run was his fifth of the year. He hit a solo shot in the third inning off Keider Montero. Caminero certainly isn’t going to sneak up on anyone in drafts next year. The top prospect in the minors at the time of his call up, Caminero has only scratched the surface of his sky high fantasy ceiling so far.

Presumably, Caminero will be available off the bench. Jose Caballero will bat sixth and play third base in his stead. Expect Caminero back in the lineup on Friday.

Caminero got the Rays on the board in the eighth with one of those doubles. The three two-baggers give him six in just 31 games with the Rays, while the RBI is his 13th in that time frame. A wonderful reminder of just how much talent there is in Caminero’s bat at the age of 21.

Caminero is 0-for-9 since his three-hit game against the Phillies on Tuesday, and just 10-for-46 (.220) over the month of September. There aren’t long-term concerns with the 21-year-old, but he hasn’t exactly carried his prospect weight since joining the Rays. Don’t hold it against him too much in drafts next year.

The 21-year-old is now hitting .260/.339/.400 in 27 games since being promoted while driving in 12 runs and drilling three home runs. However, the bigger news may be that, as of today, Caminero is no longer prospect-eligible. The Rays’ handling of their talented third baseman has been a bit confusing this season. He did battle leg injuries throughout the year, but the Rays waited to promote him until the end of the season when they were already eliminated from playoff contention and now he’s played enough games this year to no longer be prospect eligible, so they lost a year of team control. It’s a head-scratcher, but Caminero is a talented player who will need a better lineup around him to make good on all of his fantasy upside.

Caminero got the Rays back in the game with a two-run single in the third inning to make it 4-2 Twins. The rookie infielder has driven in 11 batters since being promoted with a slash of .264/.344/.438. The sky’s the limit for Caminero’s fantasy upside, even as a player who isn’t likely to steal many bags.

Caminero’s impressive three-hit performance also included a run-scoring double off Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson in the third inning. He also drew a walk in this one, reaching base safely in three of his four plate appearances in a low-scoring affair at Tropicana Field. He nearly drew a two-out walk against Twins closer Jhoan Duran in the ninth inning, which would’ve put the tying run on base, but chased a breaking ball low and away, after batting back from two strikes to run the count full, to end the contest. The 21-year-old top prospect has gotten off to an outstanding start, batting .275/.359/.478 with three homers, nine RBI and two steals in 19 games since returning earlier this month to the big leagues.

The Rays’ offensive output was… unconventional in this one. Their three runs came around to score in quick succession on Caminero’s HBP with the bases loaded, then a double play, and wild pitch. Nevertheless, Caminero has made his presence known since being called-up with three homers, nine RBI, and an .804 OPS in 19 games.

Caminero drew a walk in the first inning and scored the Rays’ first run on a single by Jose Caballero. He then took Randy Vásquez deep for a three-run blast in the second, his third homer of the season over his first 17 games. The 21-year-old top prospect is slashing .254/.319/.460 with the three homers and two steals across 69 plate appearances.