The Tampa Bay Rays have placed their top prospect, Junior Caminero, on the minor league injured list. According to Rays manager Kevin Cash, the 20-year-old infielder is suffering from a Grade 2 left quad strain.
#Rays Junior Caminero hurt his quad on the final play of last night’s game.
You can see him limp after running through first base on this ground out to end the game.
He was placed on the IL today https://t.co/bX7BNbOdiy pic.twitter.com/Udd44eNyQl
— Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) May 29, 2024
Coming into the season, Caminero was expected to play a significant role for Tampa Bay. With Wander Franco on administrative leave amid an investigation into abuse claims, Caminero was speculated to take over as the Rays shortstop in 2024.
MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 overall prospect has been making his way up the minor leagues, even making it to the majors late last season. Caminero batted .235/.278/.353 with a home run and seven RBI in 34 big league at-bats. He hit .324/.384/.591 in the minors last year between High-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery, leading to his promotion to Triple-A Durham. Caminero was batting .261/.333/.478 with eight homers in 34 games in Triple-A before his injury.
Tampa Bay has made it very clear that they are not going to rush Caminero back to the big leagues. The 20-year-old missed two weeks in April with a prior quad strain sustained while trying to run out a ground ball. Caminero’s prognosis is to miss four to six weeks. So, his latest quad injury will likely keep the young infielder sidelined until July.
Rays Place Junior Caminero on Minor League Injured List
Caminero made his major league debut out of Double-A Montgomery last September to support an injury-plagued Tampa Bay lineup. The Rays planned on Caminero beginning the season in the minors, optioning him relatively early in spring training. President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander said that the Rays would not recall Caminero until he showed he was ready.
“For us, it’s just making sure with a 20- and, later this year, going on 21-year-old, that we put him in the best possible position for success and to weather any early struggles as he acclimates,” Neander said. “That’s our goal, but he’s on his way to being a really special major league player.”
He has played all four infield spots in his minor league career, but has been the everyday third baseman in Triple-A this year. Isaac Paredes has become the primary third baseman in Tampa Bay, but he has the versatility to move around if Caminero takes over the hot corner.
Junior Caminero was a consensus top-five prospect in baseball going into the 2024 season. Unfortunately, his bad string of health has made 2024 a mostly lost season. Caminero will look to get back on track when he returns from the injured list later this summer.
Photo Credit: © Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
