The Tampa Bay Rays’ June run was so strong that it spilled over into both monthly awards. Junior Caminero took AL Player of the Month, while Drew Rasmussen grabbed AL Pitcher of the Month, and both turned in stretches that made a crowded field look a little less crowded.
June across Major League Baseball was packed with big numbers. Fifteen position players finished with at least one full win above replacement, and five pitchers got there too. With All-Star voting and selection right around the corner, that kind of month can carry real weight.
Caminero’s case started with power and never really let up. The Rays third baseman hit 10 home runs in 26 games and drove in 24 runs, leading the American League in homers and finishing second in RBIs behind Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler.
The rate stats were just as loud. Caminero led the AL with a 187 wRC+, a .443 weighted on-base average, and a .347 isolated power.
He also finished third in fWAR, trailing only Dingler and Bobby Witt Jr., and the WAR gap was small enough to sit inside the half-win margin of error. For a player still not yet 23, that’s a ridiculous month.
His June came on the heels of a 2025 season that raised some questions about how his bat would play away from Tropicana Field. Last year, he put up a 100 wRC+ on the road and hit .218/.266/.477. This season, he has already pushed that road line to a 114 wRC+ and a .250/.331/.436 slash, a real step forward even if he still has been better at home.
Jac Caglianone pushed Caminero all the way to the end of the month. The Royals slugger finished just behind him in fWAR and barely missed on wRC+.
Over 25 games and 106 plate appearances, Caglianone posted a 182 wRC+, hit nine homers, and drove in 19 runs. His .439 wOBA was excellent, and his .448 expected wOBA led the American League for the month.
That kind of production fits a breakout season. After a rough rookie year in which he posted -1.6 fWAR in 62 games, Caglianone is up to 1.4 fWAR in 76 games this season.
June helped lift his overall line to a 121 wRC+, a .351 wOBA, and a .373 xwOBA. He also sits above the 90th percentile in average exit velocity, xwOBA, hard-hit rate, and barrel rate, among other categories.
Dillon Dingler made his own loud case too. The Tigers backstop led the American League in fWAR for June and also topped the league in RBIs.
He hit .333/.354/.657 with a 172 wRC+, and his overall offensive profile was stuffed with top-10 marks: a .394 xwOBA, .422 wOBA, .333 batting average, and .324 ISO. On top of that, he was one of the best defensive players in the league at any position.
Rasmussen’s month was even more dominant on the mound. The right-hander put together an ERA under 1.00 in June, and that mark led the AL by more than a run.
His underlying numbers backed it up: a 1.77 FIP that led the league and a 2.65 expected FIP that ranked second. He also finished sixth in strikeouts per nine and third in walks per nine, while averaging 6.1 innings per start.
For a full month, every fifth day, that’s as steady as it gets.
Ranger Suárez was the top AL pitching honorable mention. In a season that has already delivered plenty of forgettable moments and disappointment, he has been one of Boston’s bright spots.
In June, he posted the second-most fWAR among AL pitchers, struck out more than 10 per nine innings, and finished with a 1.91 FIP that ranked second in the league. He averaged six innings per start and logged four quality starts in five outings.
Gage Jump also earned a mention after a strong six-start June. He posted a 2.31 ERA over 35 innings, with a 1.19 ERA and 2.12 FIP across his first five outings before getting hit hard in his final start.
In that June 24 outing against the Giants, he threw five innings, struck out nine, and faced 18 batters for a 50% strikeout rate. Overall, his 2.93 ERA has been a welcome lift for an Athletics staff that ranks 29th in the league in ERA.
In Other News...
Rays May Be Eyeing The Kind Of Move Fans Have Waited For
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Tarik Skubal is the kind of name that changes the tone of those discussions, even before any actual deal is on the table. The question for Tampa Bay is whether it would be willing to part with the kind of prospect package such a move would demand, and whether Detroit would even make him available in the first place. For a fan base that has waited a long time to see the Rays chase a true splash, this is the sort of possibility that feels worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Making Room At The Trop For Evan Longoria Weekend
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Rays Stadium Fight Takes Another Turn As Tampa Pushes Back
Tampas long-running stadium debate picked up another wrinkle this week, with council member Bill Carlson reportedly working to trim the citys tax revenue role in the Rays project. The idea would cut Tampas contribution from $100 million to $80 million by moving responsibility for the Community Redevelopment Agency to Hillsborough County, a shift that would ease the citys bill while changing who helps steer some of the public side of the deal.
That adjustment matters because the stadium negotiations are still being finalized, and the money trail is tied to more than just bricks and mortar. If Tampa steps back, the community benefits side of the agreement could look different, with county-backed priorities taking a larger role as the city tries to reduce its exposure without derailing the project. [Read more 🡒]