Junior

Caminero

If we’re being completely honest, Caminero should be in the majors right now, but the Rays appear poised to continue attempting to sort through the flotsam and jetsam on their active roster over the next few weeks before he gets another opportunity at the highest level. The 21-year-old top prospect has dealt with some injuries this season, but he’s been an offensive force, when healthy, with an .819 OPS and 11 homers in 45 games for Triple-A Durham. He’s one of the top stash candidates for fantasy managers heading into the home stretch, even in shallow mixed leagues.

Caminero was set to return on Friday evening, but that contest was ultimately postponed due to rain. The 21-year-old prodigy has been dealing with a left quad strain since late May and has endured an injury-plagued season at Triple-A Durham. The hope for fantasy managers is that he’ll manage to stay healthy for a couple weeks and get a late-season opportunity for the Rays. He’s universally-regarded as one of the top prospects in the fantasy landscape and is going to make a significant impact once Tampa Bay is ready to toss him the metaphorical car keys at the highest level.

Caminero has been on the shelf with a Grade 2 left quad strain since the end of May. The infielder is one of the top prospects in baseball, but he’s been limited to just 34 games at the Triple-A level. If Caminero avoids setbacks, he should be back in Triple-A shortly, and then he has a chance to help fantasy managers and Tampa Bay by the end of the summer.

Oof. It’s a tough break for the Rays — and for fantasy managers who had been stashing Caminero hoping for an imminent promotion to the big leagues. The 20-year-old infielder won’t return to game action for at least a month and probably won’t be an option to join the Rays until around the All-Star break at the earliest.

It’s a significant development for fantasy purposes as it could expedite Caminero’s return to the majors and open up additional avenues to get his bat in the lineup everyday. The 20-year-old, who entered Tuesday night batting .304 with six homers and one steal in 103 plate appearances over 23 contests this season for Triple-A Durham, hasn’t made an appearance at the keystone since back in 2022. It might also shed some light on Brandon Lowe’s status after he was lifted from a rehab contest earlier this week for precautionary reasons due to oblique discomfort. The Rays are currently rolling with Richie Palacios at second base in the majors right now. It feels like only a matter of time before Caminero is back in Tampa Bay.

Caminero hasn’t been called up. According to multiple reports it’s merely a planned off day after he played in both games of Wednesday’s doubleheader. He’s been on an absolute tear with a pair of multi-homer performances in his last three contests. The 20-year-old top prospect appears to be on the precipice of returning to Tampa Bay’s lineup, likely for good, as he’s batting .333 (18-for-54) with six homers and one steal through 14 contests for Triple-A Durham. He should be rostered in all fantasy formats already.

Caminero was lifted from Thursday’s game in the third inning after sustaining the injury. Ensberg explained that he wasn’t going to put Caminero in any jeopardy, so he pulled him as a precaution. The 20-year-old phenom ran and did defensive work without issue on Friday but was getting another night off just to be on the safe side. He could be used off the bench in Friday’s game and should return to the starting lineup on Saturday.

Caminero returned to minor league game action last week from a left quad strain, so his departure is a bit concerning since it came immediately following a fourth-inning double. There should be an update on the 20-year-old top prospect’s status at some point in the coming days.

Caminero underwent an MRI that revealed a relatively minor quad strain and the hope is that he’ll be ready to return sometime next week following a brief absence. The 20-year-old top prospect is expected to receive some additional seasoning at the Triple-A level before returning to the majors at some point later this season. Given the uncertainty surrounding the timing of his eventual return to Tampa Bay, he’s only worthy of a speculative stash in extremely deep mixed leagues.

Aranda will open the season on the injured list after breaking the finger while fielding a ground ball earlier this week. The 25-year-old will have surgery to have a pin placed in the broken finger and is likely to be sidelined until late April or early May. This opens the door for Rays top overall prospect Junior Caminero to potentially make the Opening Day roster as Tampa Bay will need to add another infielder with Aranda sidelined. It also virtually guarantees Curtis Mead a spot on the Rays’ season-opening roster.