Wednesday, September 10

TAMPA -- What Junior Caminero accomplished last week was remarkable enough. On Sept. 2, he homered, doubled and drove in four runs to reach two significant milestones: 40 home runs and 100 RBIs.

The context of Caminero’s historical hits within the game made them even more impressive. His 40th homer tied the game in the sixth inning. His 99th and 100th RBIs put the Rays ahead in the seventh.

And the fact that he did it all after just turning 22 years old on July 5 is, of course, ridiculous. He’s the fourth player in MLB history to hit 40 homers in an age-21-or-younger season, joining Eddie Mathews in 1953, Mel Ott in 1929 and Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2019.

“It's pretty special stuff, especially for somebody doing it at 22 years old,” said 28-year-old starter Ryan Pepiot. “He makes me feel old.”

“Last year, I was thinking he was 21 and it was like, ‘He really, like, just became legal to have a beer,’” joked outfielder Jake Mangum.

But what stood out to some teammates and coaches was how Caminero hit his 40th home run. After taking Bryan Woo’s first pitch for a strike, Caminero turned on a 94.5 mph fastball that was up and in, not even close to the zone, and pounded it a Statcast-projected 390 feet with an exit velocity of 105.2 mph.

A lot of good hitters would get jammed by that pitch. Earlier this season, Caminero was frequently beaten by inside fastballs, producing a lot of ground balls and hard-hit double plays. But in the final month of his first full big league season, he showed the aptitude that could make him truly special when paired with his incredible ability.

“The pitch he hit out, I mean, it almost hit him. I don't know how he got the bat to it and crushed it,” reliever Kevin Kelly said. “He's a special hitter, and to come up big in situations like that … is really special.”

“The talent's all there. He could just live off the talent and be just totally fine,” Pepiot added. “But he just strives to get better and better each and every day. And it's not just on the offensive end, either. It's defensively, too.”

The Rays don’t necessarily want to see Caminero keep chasing pitches inside or balls thrown away from him. Being more selective would boost his subpar walk rate, middling on-base percentage and overall production. But the fact that he can hit those pitches, and hit them so hard, and hit them in the air, and make such a major adjustment at such a young age?

That’s why he’s Junior Caminero.

“Everything he's done has impressed me, to be honest. Look, I think there are some pitches that he gets to that most guys cannot,” manager Kevin Cash said. “There's no denying his talent, and what he can cover in and off the plate away is just amazing to me.”

Caminero has a chance to make more history over the next three weeks. With 41 home runs, he’s five shy of matching the single-season franchise record set by Carlos Peña in 2007. With 103 RBIs, he’s 18 short of Peña’s Rays record (121, also in ’07).

But for a player with this much talent, who’s already accomplished so much at an age where many players are just getting drafted, focusing on numbers like that almost feels like selling him short, doesn’t it?

“I wouldn't put it past him to hit 50 at some point in his career,” Mangum said. “He's a generational talent, awesome teammate.”

“I'm not going to put a limit on him,” Cash added. “I'm excited to get to have a really good seat to watch it, because we've all felt that he's a special player, and let's see how it goes.”

Despite his restricted workload and the fact that he’s back in the rotation after a third major elbow surgery, Drew Rasmussen has made 10 scoreless outings of at least five innings, the most in a single season in franchise history. That’s a feat accomplished this season by only Tarik Skubal (12 times), Rasmussen and Paul Skenes (10 times).

Also, Rasmussen is on pace to become the fourth pitcher in Rays history to make 30 starts or more with a sub-3.00 ERA. The others? Blake Snell in 2018, James Shields in 2011 and David Price in 2010 and ’12. Good company.

Before Sunday’s game, reliever Hunter Bigge met with four members of the Tampa Fire Rescue squad who provided care for him when he was struck in the face by a foul ball in June and presented them with a custom “TFR” Rays jersey.

“I think they’re heroes, and what they do on a daily basis is really commendable and changed my life, for sure,” Bigge said. “I'm really lucky that these guys were nearby and able to give me help really quickly. I mean, I'm standing here now because of them, so really grateful.”

After recovering from surgery to repair facial fractures, Bigge is throwing bullpens in his recovery from a previous lat injury. He hopes to pitch 10 innings before the year is over, which could result in him playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic.

Mangum was presented with his 2025 Heart and Hustle Award before Wednesday’s game. The honor is given annually by the MLB Players Alumni Association to one player on each team who exemplifies “a true passion for the game” and embodies “the values, spirt and traditions of the game.”

Mangum compared the recognition to the Ed Block Courage Award his father, John, received while playing for the Chicago Bears in 1996. John didn’t keep much memorabilia from his playing career, Mangum said, but that award was always “right in the middle of his desk.”

“I feel like this is kind of the equivalent to that, so that kind of means a lot to me,” Mangum added. “Because I wouldn’t be here without him.”

After this weeklong trip to Chicago, the Rays will return next week for their final homestand at George M. Steinbrenner Field, facing the Blue Jays (Sept. 15-18) and Red Sox (Sept. 19-21) with two notable events on deck.

On Sept. 15, the Rays will host a “Pack the Pantries” Food Drive to recognize Roberto Clemente Day. And there will be a postgame drone show on Sept. 19 to “honor Rays fandom.” Check out more promotional information here.

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