Junior Caminero is still only 23, but the Rays third baseman has already lived through two postseason games and now finds himself on the brink of another October run. Tampa Bay opens its American League Division Series against the New York Yankees on Saturday, Oct. 3, and for Caminero it will be his first playoff game since 2023, when he was a 20-year-old rookie.
There’s another layer to his postseason path, one that reaches all the way back to his childhood in the Dominican Republic. If the Rays and San Diego Padres end up meeting in the World Series, Caminero would get a shot at the player he grew up admiring most: Manny Machado.
"We grew up watching Manny Machado," Caminero said Wednesday. "He's my favorite player.
Manny is a good example for me every single day. I talk to Manny a lot.
We played in the WBC together this year. I mean, unbelievable.
That's the best baseball moment in my life.
"So Manny Machado, for me, is my favorite player."
A Rays-Padres World Series matchup is not out of the question, and it would bring Caminero face-to-face with a star he was watching long before he ever reached the majors. Machado, now 34, debuted with the Baltimore Orioles in 2012 at age 20. Caminero was just 9 then.
Caminero already got a taste of October with Tampa Bay in the 2023 AL wild-card series against the Texas Rangers. As a rookie, he came off the bench as a pinch hitter in both games and finished 0-for-2.
Since then, the rise has been real. Caminero turned himself into a two-time All-Star and locked down every day at third base this season, starting all 162 games. He became only the fourth Rays player to appear in all 162 games in a season, and the eighth third baseman to do it since MLB expanded the schedule to 162 games.
"Kevin Cash, the manager, gave me the confidence every single day, to stay in the lineup every single day," he said.
He backed up that trust with a big-time season: 42 home runs, 101 RBIs, a .276/.360/.524 slash line and a career-high 5.7 bWAR.
Mountain Dew also put a spotlight on his power, naming Caminero the Baja Blast Champion after he launched 21 home runs more than 420 feet. The promotion let fans go online and claim a free can of Baja Blast whenever a qualifying blast was hit, giving the season an extra layer of chase whenever Caminero stepped to the plate.
“When I go to home plate, I try to hit a homer every at-bat. I was thinking, this at-bat, Baja Blast Championship.”
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 🡒]