Junior Caminero is about to step into his first real postseason test, and the matchup waiting for him could hardly be more unforgiving.
The Tampa Bay Rays are headed into the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees this weekend, and Caminero’s track record against New York is the kind of detail that jumps off the page. The 23-year-old has put together a monster two-season run for Tampa Bay, but the Yankees have been a different story entirely.
Caminero got only a small taste of October in 2023, when he had two pinch-hit at-bats in the AL Wild Card Series against the Texas Rangers and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout. This time, he’ll be asked to do far more, and the Rays need him to look like the hitter who has crushed pitching across the league.
Over the past two seasons, Caminero has delivered elite production. He has posted back-to-back 40-plus home run seasons and driven in 100-plus runs in each of them. This year, he finished tied for second in the American League with 42 home runs, third in RBIs with 101, third in slugging percentage at .524 and fifth in OPS at .884.
But none of that changes what has happened against New York. In 25 career games versus the Yankees, Caminero has hit just .177/.229/.302, going 17-for-96 with three home runs, three doubles, nine RBIs, seven runs scored, six walks, 21 strikeouts, a .531 OPS and a 47 OPS+.
That .177 batting average is the worst he has posted against any opponent in his career, and the Yankees are the only team he has hit below .200 against.
Junior Caminero has played worse against the Yankees than any other team he’s faced in his career pic.twitter.com/B7SlG1zvtW
Regular-season numbers don’t decide playoff series, but this is still the kind of trend Tampa Bay cannot ignore. Caminero is one of the most dangerous bats in the Rays’ lineup, and if they want to push through New York, they need him to be at his best.
The challenge gets even steeper when you look at the pitching the Yankees can throw at them. Gerrit Cole is lined up to start Game 1, and Cam Schlittler, the presumptive AL Cy Young Award winner, is slated for Game 2.
The Rays and Yankees have met only once before in the postseason, back in the 2020 ALDS. Tampa Bay won that series in five games, and every game was played at Petco Park without fans in the stands.
This time, if the Rays are going to get past New York again, they may need Caminero to erase the numbers that have followed him all season against the Yankees.
In Other News...
Rays Just Got The ALDS Jolt Yankees Fans Feared Most
Drew Rasmussen gave Tampa Bay exactly the kind of October start that can change a series in a hurry. In Game 1 of the American League Division Series, he worked a complete-game shutout against the Yankees, carrying a no-hit bid into the eighth inning and striking out 10 while walking two in a 1-0 Rays win.
Rasmussen retired 15 hitters in a row before a double finally broke up the no-hit attempt, and by then the damage was already done. The Rays now hold a 1-0 lead in the series, with one outing serving as an early reminder that New York may have to solve Tampa Bays pitching the hard way. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Just Added Another Problem For The Yankees In This Series
Drew Rasmussen gave the Rays exactly the kind of October start that changes a series, carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning before Austin Wells finally broke it up in Game 1 of the ALDS. Tampa Bay still walked away with a 1-0 win over the Yankees, and the result only sharpened the pressure on a New York lineup that spent most of the night chasing a pitcher who never seemed to lose command.
Giancarlo Stantons return added another layer to the Yankees situation, with the slugger coming off the bench in the ninth inning for his first game action before striking out against Bryan Baker. Aaron Boone pointed to Stantons preparation afterward and left open the possibility of more appearances in the series, which gives New York one more variable to manage as it tries to answer a Rays staff that already has the upper hand. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Fans Have One Big Concern After That Game 1 Loss
Drew Rasmussen made a lot of Yankees fans uneasy in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, and for good reason. The Rays right-hander carved through New York for eight scoreless innings, allowed only one hit and struck out 10, turning the opener into a tense, low-scoring grind at Yankee Stadium.
Austin Wells finally broke up the no-hit bid with a double in the eighth, but the inning ended with him thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple, and Tampa Bay kept its 1-0 lead intact. Jonathan Arandas solo homer was the only run the Rays needed, leaving New York staring at an early series deficit and wondering what it has to do differently before the next game. [Read more 🡒]