Baseballs will be flying at Citizens Bank Park on July 13, and the Home Run Derby field is already starting to take shape. Eight of MLB’s biggest power bats will go after the crown Cal Raleigh won last summer, and the event is switching back to a swings-based format, giving hitters more time in the box to work through their rounds.
The early list includes two confirmed names, with more chatter building around a possible hometown presence for Phillies fans. Junior Caminero was the first player to lock in his spot, and Yankees first baseman Ben Rice later joined him. Around them, the rumor mill has turned toward Philadelphia, where Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are both in the mix.
Caminero is coming back after finishing runner-up last year, and the Rays slugger has done nothing to suggest the power display was a one-time burst. The 23-year-old hit 45 home runs in his first full MLB season and already has 26 through 88 games this year, including a recent run of 11 homers in 11 games. No Rays hitter has ever won the Derby, but Caminero got close in 2025.
Rice’s announcement came on July 7, and he’ll have a familiar face in his corner: his dad will pitch to him. The 27-year-old’s path to this stage has been a long climb.
A 12th-round pick in 2021, he lost much of his college career at Dartmouth to the COVID-19 pandemic, then was called up out of desperation in 2024 and hit .171 as a rookie. He broke through in 2025 with 26 home runs and has 25 more through 85 games this season.
If he wins, he’d be the first Yankee to take the Derby since Aaron Judge in 2017.
The Phillies angle is still the one that could make the night feel personal for the home crowd. Schwarber and Harper are both hoping to take part in front of Philadelphia fans.
Schwarber said he would do it if his back feels well enough, while Harper said he needs to find the right pitcher before he commits. Harper has already won the Derby once, doing it at home in 2018 while with the Nationals, and also took part as a 20-year-old in 2013.
Schwarber has entered twice before and finished runner-up to Harper in 2018.
Not everyone is lining up for the show. Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has passed on the invitation again, after also declining in 2025.
He said he’ll do it “someday,” but not in 2026. With the 2027 MLB All-Star Weekend set for Wrigley Field, that future debut could still come in front of a Chicago crowd.
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