ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Yordan Alvarez was out of the Houston Astros' lineup for a second straight game due to a sore right ankle Saturday.
Alvarez turned his ankle running the bases Thursday in Philadelphia and was not used off the bench in a close game Friday against Tampa Bay. Manager Joe Espada said that he was hopeful Alvarez could return to the lineup for Sunday's finale against the Rays.
"He came out and moved around, hit in the cages, but still sore," Espada said before Saturday's game. "More when he swings the bat and he's got to turn that right ankle once he's going to spin. So it's still not there."
This marks the first time Alvarez has been out of Houston's lineup in back-to-back games this season. He started 145 of the team's first 147 games prior to Friday, with 123 starts at DH and 22 in left field.
Alvarez entered Saturday leading the majors with a 1.017 OPS. A Triple Crown candidate, he led qualified American League hitters with a .310 average and ranked second in home runs (38), after Junior Caminero (40) of the Rays, and second in RBIs (96), behind Pete Alonso (97) of the Orioles.

#alvarez #Friday #sore

Rays news: What Junior Caminero said after walking off Astros with 2-run bomb appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Tampa Bay Rays star Junior Caminero delivered a two-run walk-off homer Friday night, beating the Houston Astros 3-1 and clinching the Rays' first postseason berth since 2023. His 40th homer ended the series opener at Tropicana Field and made Tampa Bay the first MLB team to secure a 2026 playoff spot. Afterward, theScore's Bryan Mcwilliam shared Caminero's postgame message as the All-Star third baseman made clear reaching October wasn't his final goal.
"We're going to enjoy this, we're going to have a lot of fun, we're going to enjoy the moment, but the job is not finished. We're going to win the division," Caminero said before yelling, "Tampa, this is for you."
Caminero delivered his first career MLB walk-off hit with one out in the ninth and the score tied 1-1. Jonathan Aranda doubled off the right-field wall before Jonny DeLuca replaced him as a pinch-runner. Caminero then attacked Bryan Abreu's first pitch, sending a 96.6 mph four-seam fastball 417 feet to left-center at 107.2 mph.
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#caminero #first #going #junior

Regular readers know that I've followed one of the great Cy Young horse races in recent memory, with Cam Schlittler going great start-for-great start with the Blue Jays' Dylan Cease. We got a little bit of separation this week, as the Athletics touched up Cease for four runs in five innings on Monday, and then Schlittler allowed just a solo shot in seven frames against the Rockies on Tuesday. Cam has crept just ahead by fWAR, enjoys a considerable lead in bWAR, and right now I think would end up at the top of most voters' ballots.
But something struck me in the aftermath of Cam's night against Colorado, the same night that Aaron Judge returned to the lineup. Cam Schlittler isn't just the Cy Young favorite, but he's built himself an MVP case. No pitcher has won the award since Clayton Kershaw for the 2014 Dodgers, and the last AL winner was 2011 Justin Verlander. Yordan Alvarez is in the hunt for the first Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera, Bobby Witt Jr. is probably the best overall player in the league, and if Junior Caminero tops the AL in home runs and plays on the Junior Circuit's best team, he probably gets his share of votes too.
And yet here's the thing: Cam stacks up fairly against all three of them!
Let's take Yordan, who I think has the inside track on the award right now. Schlittler's 0.1 fWAR back, a difference that is literally negligible, and more than three-quarters of a win better by bWAR. Alvarez's candidacy is based around the Triple Crown, probably being the best hitter in baseball, and dragging what we thought was a finally-deflated Houston Astros team to a division ****** le. ****** py AL West or not, that is exactly the blueprint for an MVP, if one for a slightly older voter.
Should Alvarez not win the Triple Crown, he loses a bit of his case, though he's likely still the best hitter in the game on a division winner, one who will have played in the neighborhood of 155 games. That's the big thing both undercutting Witt's MVP claim while bolstering his position as best all-around player — the Kansas City shortstop has only played 128 games at time of writing, yet leads the league in fWAR and bWAR among position players. With a solid-but-not-spectacular 18 homers and 124 wRC+, the parts of his game beyond hitting are doing the heavy lifting there as well. All that and the fact that the Royals are so bad work against him when it comes to end of season awards though, and Bobby seems cursed to be the Dave Stieb of shortstops.

#schlittler #young #cease

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - An unorthodox pitching plan worked about as well as the Houston Astros could have hoped Friday. Their offense could not capitalize against another American League contender.
Junior Caminero cranked a walk-off, two-run home run against Bryan Abreu to send the Astros to a 3-1 loss in the opener of a series against the Tampa Bay Rays, who became the first American League team to clinch a spot in this year's playoff field. Houston, which entered the day with a three-game lead in the AL West, ended it with a 75-73 record.
Using an opener, three Astros pitchers combined to hold the Rays to two hits before the ninth inning. Jonathan Aranda hit a one-out double against Abreu. With first base open, the Astros opted to face Caminero, the AL home run leader, who crushed a first-pitch fastball 417 feet to ignite a celebration at Tropicana Field.
The Astros totaled nine hits. But they were 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position, with neither of the hits scoring a run, and stranded six men on base.
A 1-1 tie reached the ninth inning. The teams took different routes there. Rays starter Drew Rasmussen worked seven innings, navigating eight hits. One run against him scored on a fielder's choice. He threw 92 pitches before Tampa Bay turned to its bullpen.

#astros #houston #abreu #tampa

Junior Caminero hit his 40th home run of the season to lift the Tampa Bay Rays to a 3-1 walk-off win over the Houston Astros on Friday. With the victory, the Rays became the first MLB team this season to clinch a postseason berth.
This story will be updated with more information.

#rays #season

It really just feels like each series the Atlanta Braves have been in lately has been like them leaving a snake pit for a lion's den only to realize that they've stepped into a piranha's pond and escaped that just to find out that the dry land was quicksand. "I don't know how much more battle-tested we need to be," quipped Walt Weiss when he was asked by the media during Tuesday's pregame press conference about the tough schedule that the Braves have been dealing with as of late — and still have to navigate going forward.
Indeed, one of the takeaways from this patch is that the Braves will have faced some of the toughest teams that baseball currently has to offer once they eventually reach the Postseason and they should be more-than-ready to handle whatever's in front of them. With that being said, the Braves had to deal with another serious test in the form of the Tampa Bay Rays and once the smoke cleared, it was less about acing the test and more like simply doing enough to pass the test. Did Atlanta manage that? Let's get into it.
This one was competitive for two innings, as the Braves matched Junior Caminero's two-out dinger off of AJ Smith-Shawver in the first inning with a run of their own in the bottom half of that frame. The deadlock didn't last long at all, as the Rays made the third inning a long one for Smith-Shawver. AJSS was one out away from potentially putting two outs on the board against the Rays in that inning. Instead, Liam Hicks sent one flying into the Georgia night sky for a two-run shot. Smith-Shawver was one out away from keeping it at 3-1 before Victor Mesa Jr. hit a bouncer that eluded the glove of Ozzie Albies and dribbled into the infield for an RBI single that made it 4-1.
AJ Smith-Shawver was only able to make it through 3.1 innings with those four runs allowed, but credit is due to Brent Suter for going 3.2 innings while only giving up a single run while he was out there. Elieser Hernández wasn't as fortunate, as he surrendered two runs across his two innings of work and then got the DFA treatment once the next morning rolled around. It really felt like the Rays were either ****** ing and dunking or hitting moonshots, there was no in-between in this one.
Meanwhile, a nasty trend for the Braves was emerging while they were on the mound. It's not particularly shocking that Freddy Peralta ended up going six innings with just one run allowed since he'd done pretty well in two previous starts against Atlanta with the Mets. It wasn't shocking either to see the Rays bullpen clamp down on the Braves they did on Tuesday, either. What was shocking is that the Braves came out of this game with 11 batted ****** that were at least 95-mph that ended up turning into outs. Folks, that's tough!

#Braves #smith #shawver #going

This contest was a series of moments wrapped around a wild seventh inning that saw each team score at least three runs, albeit in different methods. Prior to a 7th inning that was off the rails in the home half, the Rays looked to be mostly in control with an early 2-1 lead through five innings thanks to an RBI single by Liam Hicks and a solo home run by Jonathan Aranda:
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That prodigous was just Aranda's second home run in the past 20 games and just his fourth extra base hit in his last 86 plate appearances: That held up until Ty France hit his 100th career home run sneaking an opposite field home run just over the right field cut out to give the Padres a 3-2 lead:
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The Rays would come back to tie the game 3-3 on Junior Caminero's first home run in 16 games and just his third extra base hit in his last 66 plate appearances to set the stage for an eventful 7th inning:

#inning

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Yandy Diaz knocked in three runs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning and Chandler Simpson followed with a tiebreaking RBI hit as the Tampa Bay Rays rallied to beat San Diego 7-6 on Saturday in a game in which Padres second baseman Luis Rengifo was carted off with an apparent leg injury.
Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda homered as the Rays won their third straight and for the fifth time in six games.
Kevin Kelly (6-3) earned the win with 1 2/3 innings in relief. Bryan Baker recorded his league-leading 39th save by working a scoreless ninth. Starter Nick Martinez allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out four in six innings.
Bradgley Rodriguez (3-3) took the loss after failing to record an out while facing four batters in the seventh. Walker Buehler allowed seven hits and three runs while striking out three in five innings. Ty France hit a two-run home run for San Diego.
The Rays scored four times in the seventh inning. Diaz hit a bases-loaded single off the base of the wall in center. On the play, Rengifo was injured after taking a relay throw and while trying to cut down Cedric Mullins at the plate in a run down. When his throw sailed wide, Rengifo fell to the ground and two additional runners scored, tying the game at 6.

#rengifo #seventh

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Pinch-hitter Jonny DeLuca put the Rays in front with a two-run single in the seventh inning, and AL-best Tampa Bay rallied for a 7-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night to avoid a four-game sweep.
Yandy Díaz, Ryan Vilade and Jorge Mateo homered for Tampa Bay. Mateo's two-run shot with two out in the fourth was his first for the Rays and gave them a 4-3 lead.
Coby Mayo hit a 468-foot homer, and Pete Alonso and Christian Encarnacion-Strand also went deep for Baltimore (61-64), which moved into the AL's third wild-card spot by taking the first three games against its division rival at Tropicana Field.
Jonathan Aranda's RBI single against Yennier Cano (2-3) got the Rays within 6-5 in the seventh. After Junior Caminero hit an infield single to load the bases, Josh Walker came in and gave up DeLuca's go-ahead single to center, the last of four lead changes in the game.
All-Star Bryan Baker got the final five outs for his majors-leading 35th save. Left-hander Cam Booser (1-0) struck out the side in the seventh and earned his first win in a Rays.

#single #four #game #lead

It's not often you see the losing team have more base hits, draw more walks, and strike out 10 fewer times than the victor, but that is exactly what happened tonight in a 4-3 Rays defeat. Simply put, the Rays had plenty of chances in this game, but left 12 men on base while going 3 for 13 with runners in scoring position while Baltimore had two solo homers by Pete Alonso and Christian Encarnacion-Strand to offset their own nine men left on base tonight.
This game took on a different feel after both teams had wasted their challenges by the 5th inning. The first challenge was lost by the Rays when Junior Caminero challenged a first pitch on the inner black that was confirmed by ABS. That was followed by two challenges lost – one by each team – in one plate appearance. Carlos Narvaez challenged a 2-2 pitch to Cedric Mullins which was uphelp and that was followed by Mullins challenging a 3-2 pitch on the inside black that was indeed a strike. Baltimore's advantage was short-lived when Tyler O'Neill inaccurately challenged the first pitch of the top of the 5th thus leaving both teams without the ability to challenge was was a rather suspect strike zone for the game where several close pitches were called ***** and a few poor ones called strikes as the game went on. All of this is to say that, sometimes, men let their emotions get the better of them and the early challenges, none of which were in big leverage situations.
One particular at bat in the ninth, while not consequential, highlights the risks of burning through the challenges the way it was done. Andrew Kittrege dotted a beautiful 0-1 sinker down and away to Richie Palacios to lead off the 9th, but the ball was called a ball. That would have led to an 0-2 count and the next pitch would have been strike three instead of strike two:
The Rays would eventually tie up the game in the 9th after consecutive two-out singles by Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda led to this bad process, good result moment from Junior Caminero and newest Ray, Jorge Mateo:
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#challenged #called

The Rays looked to make it eight straight against the Sacramento Athletics tonight, as Nick Martinez took the hill for Tampa Bay. Opposite him was 25 year old Mason Barnett, making just his eighth career start at the major league level.
The Rays offense didn't take long to get things started, as Junior Caminero crushed his 35th homer of the year:
Junior Caminero makes it a 4-way tie atop the league with 35 home runs! pic.twitter.com/SZoVyS74Am
That was the second homer in as many games for Caminero. Dating back to August 5, his last three hits have left the yard.
Things stayed put until the top of the third when the Rays scored their third run on a sacrifice fly by *checks notes* Chandler Simpson. It would only take one more inning before the Rays would tack on two more from another unlikely source, as Taylor Walls hit his first home run of 2026:

#league #homer #home

The Athletics dropped the second game of their three-game series against the Rays on Tuesday night, losing in embarrassing fashion to Tampa Bay 12-4 on a warm night in Sacramento. The A's will now have their backs up against the wall tomorrow as they'll hope to avoid the sweep in front of the home crowd. And with the Angels' win tonight, they need a win to avoid the cellar of the American League. How did it come to this?
Tampa didn't wait to get going against A's starter Mason Barnett. Just two batters into the game the Rays were up 2-0 thanks to a two-run blast off the bat of Rays slugger Junior Caminero, his 35th of the year which puts him in a tie for the league lead.
Tampa would add on another in the third inning thanks to two walks and a wild pitch from Barnett, then three more in the fourth off back-to-back home runs, another two-run blast and a solo home run. After four innings the Rays had already tagged Barnett for six runs (five earned). That would be it for Barnett in this one, making way for lefty Brady Basso to start the fifth inning.
Mason Barnett: 4 IP, 5 H, 6 R (5 ER), 3 BB, 0 K, 3 HR, 67 pitches
Not a great outing from Barnett and that's back-to-back duds from the righty. There's no guarantee he's **** ured another start the next time through the rotation but with the lack of other options it's likely he gets another go, which would come next against the team that traded him, the Kansas City Royals. Not a bad matchup to let the young pitcher go prove something.

#barnett #back #league #night

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Junior Caminero hit a three-run homer in an eight-run eighth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for a 10-6 victory over the Athletics on Monday night.
Caminero hit his 34th of the year after Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda both singled to kick off the inning, bringing the Rays within one. Chandler Simpson's RBI single tied the game, and Taylor Walls hit a two-run single to give Tampa Bay an 8-6 lead. Díaz hit a sacrifice fly and Aranda hit an RBI single in his second at-bat of the inning to make it 10-6.
Rays reliever Chris Roycroft (1-0) pitched the seventh inning, giving up three hits and three earned runs. Starter Freddy Peralta pitched the first six innings, with five strikeouts, three earned runs and a walk.
Díaz homered on the second pitch of the game to make it 1-0. The A's responded with an RBI double by Tyler Soderstrom to tie it, followed by Soderstrom stealing home later in the inning to make it 2-1.
Zack Gelof hit a solo home run in the fifth inning for the Athletics in his first game back after being on the injured list with a right knee laceration he sustained against the Detroit Tigers on July 9. He hit an RBI double in the seventh inning.

#three #rays #single #make

DENVER (AP) — Ben Williamson scored the tiebreaking run on a wild pitch in the 11th inning and Junior Caminero added a two-out RBI single as Tampa Bay rallied to beat Colorado 9-7 on Tuesday night after the Rockies roughed up Freddy Peralta in his Rays debut.
Williamson, the automatic runner at second base, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Taylor Walls and scampered home on a wild pitch by Nick Frasso (0-1), who was making his major league debut. That gave Tampa Bay an 8-7 lead before Yandy Diaz doubled and scored on Caminero's single.
Jonathan Aranda hit a two-run single off Rockies closer Jordan Romano to tie it at 7 in the ninth.
Liam Hicks launched a grand slam in his Rays debut off rookie Gabriel Hughes to give Peralta a 5-1 lead in the third. Hicks was acquired from Miami at the trade deadline Monday. The catcher's 15th homer was the first slam for Tampa Bay this season.
Peralta lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs and nine hits. He went 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA before coming over from the Mets in a trade Sunday. The two-time All-Star was 0-4 in his final seven starts for New York and hasn't won since pitching five innings in an 8-1 victory over the Braves on June 14.

#Rockies #rays

It was an impressive showing for the Rays offense last night, as Junior Caminero's two homers and Jonathan Aranda's four hits led the way to a 13-9 victory.
But tonight it was all about the brand new battery, as trade deadline acquisitions Freddy Peralta and and Liam Hicks both made their Rays debuts at pitcher and catcher, respectively. On the other side it was Gabriel Hughes, with just four major league starts under his belt coming into tonight.
Peralta got into some trouble immediately, giving up two hits out of the gate in the bottom of the first, but a double play and a strikeout on an elevated heater to catcher Hunter Goodman limited the damage to just one run. Whether is was just nerves or not to start the game, he recovered nicely to pitch a clean second.
Things were quiet until the top of the third when Cedric Mullins opened the Rays offense with the team's first hit of the night. After a Richie Palacios walk and a Taylor Walls bunt single, the bases were loaded with no outs. Hughes promptly struck out Yandy Diaz, but Aranda followed up with a game tying walk. Caminero gifted Hughes another strikeout, and it looked like Hughes was going to get out of it.
Until newcomer Hicks delivered the big blow:

#hits #tonight

DENVER (AP) — Junior Caminero hit two home runs, Jonathan Aranda had four hits and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Colorado Rockies 13-9 on Monday night.
Ian Seymour (8-3) allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings for the win. He struck out nine and walked none.
Tampa Bay was busy at the trade deadline, acquiring catcher Liam Hicks from Miami and reliever Tyler Wells from Baltimore. The Rays dealt catcher Hunter Feduccia to the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing Kenny Piper to make his major league debut behind the plate.
Piper walked and scored in the second inning and singled in the ninth for his first career hit.
Tampa Bay scored in each of the first four innings to take control. Caminero hit a two-run homer in the first and a solo shot in the fourth. Taylor Walls drove in a pair in a four-run second.

#four #rays

Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero hits a home run during the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, July 31, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Few things stop people in their tracks like the sight of Junior Caminero taking batting practice. Seeing the Rays' third baseman step into the batter's box during a game can also grab one's attention. If anyone needed a reminder as to why, all they had to do was see the rocket he launched off Erick Fedde of the White Sox on Friday night.
The estimated distance of "Cami's" fourth-inning solo shot to the left of center was pegged at 453 feet, the second longest in an 82-homer career through Saturday. There is no telling how far the ball might have sailed as it clanged off the D-ring hanging from the roof of Tropicana Field and 59 feet above the playing surface.
The blast was Caminero's 75th since the start of last season, which was his first full season in the big leagues. It was also his 30th home run of 2026, good for second in the American League. It also snapped a 12-game homer drought, which is his longest of the past two years and second longest of his career behind a 15-gamer in September 2024 that began a couple of weeks after he called up from Triple-A Durham.
Reaching the 30-homer mark may not in and of itself raise eyebrows a year after Caminero hit 45. Consider, though, that there are two months and 50-plus games remaining on the schedule. Hence, it is easy to see how another 40-plus homer season could be in order.

#caminero #homer #second #white

The Rays entered Friday's game with a three-game lead in the AL East, after the Yankees beat the Cubs in an afternoon affair at Wrigley Field, By the end of Friday's game, which saw the division lead cut to 2.5, the last completed trade was AJ Minter to the Twins. There is now less than three days until Monday's 6 pm deadline.
Nick Martinez took the mound for the Rays, and it wasn't a night to remember for the All-Star pitcher. He gave up six runs over six innings, all of them coming on four White Sox home runs. It's a scary thought to think about Martinez, who doesn't have overpowering stuff, facing teams like this in a postseason setting. There's still time to bolster this rotation, Erik.
The one bright spot for the Rays on Friday night was Junior Caminero hitting his 30th home run of the season. He's on pace to reach the 40 mark for a second straight season.
Alex Cook, who replaced Shane McClanahan on the active roster, made his Major League debut, pitching the seventh and eighth innings. Cook walked a pair and didn't record any strikeouts, but kept the White Sox off the board in his two innings of work. He leaned on his fastball, throwing it 76% of the time, occasionally mixing in a slider and changeup.
In Durham this season, Cook has thrown 33.1 innings with a 3.78 ERA.

#rays #martinez

Well, this one was a dud. Coming off a series sweep of the Cleveland Guardians, the Tampa Bay Rays' offense remained quiet at the plate and dropped the opener to the Texas Rangers by a score of 4-1.
Griffin Jax got the start for the Rays and was serviceable, allowing just a pair of runs over 5.2 innings of work. He punched out ten, walked three, and allowed five hits. Only one of the two runs he allowed was earned. The effort should have been enough to earn his seventh win of the season. Instead, he left with his eighth loss of the year.
The real story of the night was the Rays offense, or lack thereof. Outside of Aranda and Caminero, who each tallied a pair of hits, the rest of the lineup mustered just one hit. Cal Quantrill held the Rays to just one run an two hits over 5.1 innings of work. He punched out seven and walked just one.
Trailing 2-0, the Rays did threaten in the bottom of the fourth and for a brief moment it looked as if they were poised to take the lead and potentially send Cal Quantrill to the showers early. After a leadoff strikeout by Yandy Diaz, who's struggles at the plate continued Tuesday night, Jonathan Aranda singled and later advance to third on a double by Caminero. Mullins then reached on catcher's interference to load the bases for Chandler Simpson. Then, shockingly, Simpson found a way to hit into a groundball double play as he slapped a groundball right back to Quantrill who quickly threw home to start a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning.
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#rays #hits #double #start

MLB All-Star Game Final Score, Highlights: AL Blanks NL in First All-Star Game Shutout in 13 Years originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
gainst the backdrop of America’s 250th anniversary, the 96th Midsummer Classic at Citizens Bank Park became a definitive showcase of American League pitching depth. Behind a quick start and a dominant staff performance that limited the National League to just 3 hits, the AL secured a 4-0 victory on Tuesday night in the 2026 MLB All-Star Game.
The AL bats wasted no time, striking for 3 runs in the top of the first. With 2 outs and the bases loaded, New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger ripped a 2-run single to center field, then his teammate Ben Rice followed with an RBI knock, burying the NL in an early 3-0 hole.
From there, the contest settled into a pitching duel, with both sides unable to produce anything on offense. While celebratory fireworks lit up the Philadelphia skyline throughout the night — including a tribute to “The Sandlot” and a “God Bless America” performance — there were none to be found on the diamond, with the teams putting together 13 scoreless frames.
In the top of the 8th, the AL added insurance in the later frames courtesy of Miguel Vargas. Entering as a pinch-runner after Junior Caminero left following a hit-by-pitch, the White Sox infielder launched a 433-foot solo home run to add insurance.

Junior Caminero injury update: Latest news on Rays star who left All-Star Game after taking pitch off the hand originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The first half was a dream for the Rays, who jumped out to the AL East lead and saw young first baseman Junior Caminero emerge as an MVP candidate.
The second half could be starting off on the wrong foot — or hand, in this case.
Caminero left the All-Star Game on Tuesday after taking a pitch off his hand, going down in pain before jogging back to the clubhouse.
Here's the latest on Caminero's status.

Jac Caglianone hit eight home runs at the 2026 Home Run Derby in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Monday night.
In the new format, Caglianone was not among the top four who advanced to the second round. Eight homers may sound like a small number for a Home Run Derby, but it's as many as hometown favorite Bryce Harper hit and one less than Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami.
Most importantly, Caglianone did not have the lowest total among participants. That honor goes to New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice, who had seven. Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber was the last man to qualify for the bracket stage with 10 home runs, meaning Caglianone needed at least two more to get in.
Despite coming up short, Caglianone showed off his premium power and should be back in the Derby at some point in his career. He was tied for the hardest-hit ball of the night at 116 mph; Junior Caminero did it twice in the first round. Caglianone's farthest ball hit went 477 feet, which tied for 10th on the night; however, seven of the ******* hit farther came from Caminero (3) and Wilson Contreras (2).
Caglianone has emerged as a potential star for the Kansas City Royals in his first full season with the team. He is slashing .260/.321/.461 with a team-leading 15 home runs. The future is bright for Florida's all-time leader in home runs, and the Gators have a history of producing Home Run Derby champions in two-time winner Pete Alonso.

The 2026 Home Run Derby was as memorable as they come. Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals and Kyle Schwarber of the hometown Philadelphia Phillies dueled in a thrilling final round, with the former coming out on top.
Schwarber hit 11 home runs in the final round, then Walker put himself into a position where he needed six consecutive bombs to win. The math and crowd were not on his side. Slowly but surely, though, Walker inched closer. Walker unlocked the bonus round after three straight home runs, and he unleashed three more for a miraculous win that silenced the Philadelphia crowd.
It was an electric scene at Citizens Bank Park as Walker, who remained calm and composed throughout the competition, rejoiced upon his win.
Walker tied for the most home runs of the first round with 13, then eliminated Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero with six homers in the semifinals. Schwarber punched his finals ticket by finishing just one home run above Willson Contreras' eight in Round 2.
Here's how much Walker, Schwarber and the rest of the field earned for the Home Run Derby.

Home Run Derby Live Updates, Highlights, Leaderboard From 2026 All-Star Event originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Which power hitter will secure the ******* le at the 2026 Home Run Derby?
Sluggers like Junior Caminero, Bryce Harper, Ben Rice and Kyle Schwarber will battle for bragging rights at Citizens Bank Park on Monday night.
This year, participants don't have to worry about a timer. Players will have 20 swings in Round 1 and 15 swings in Round 2 and the final round. The four players with the highest home run totals in the first round will advance to the semifinals and go head-to-head in order to determine the finalists and champion.
Follow along right here for the full results and best highlights from the 2026 Home Run Derby.

Home Run Derby Live Updates, Highlights, Leaderboard From 2026 All-Star Event originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Can a member of the Red Sox bring a Home Run Derby **** le back to Boston?
Willson Contreras, who has hit 20 home runs this year, is the first Red Sox player to participate in the Home Run Derby since David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez back in 2011. He will attempt to beat other sluggers like Junior Caminero, Bryce Harper, Ben Rice and Kyle Schwarber.
This year, participants don't have to worry about a timer. Players will have 20 swings in Round 1 and 15 swings in Round 2 and the final round. The four players with the highest home run totals in the first round will advance to the semifinals and go head-to-head in order to determine the finalists and champion.
Follow along right here for the full results and best highlights from the 2026 Home Run Derby.

Today is the Home Run Derby, arguably the best part of the All Star Break. We've got a new format this year, removing the timer from the last couple seasons and going back to a swing limit.
Here are this year's participants, which includes two Phillies (in Philadelphia) and a Yankee but still manages to be a very fun group of mashers:
Kyle Schwarber, Phillies
Bryce Harper, Phillies
Junior Caminero, Rays

Major League Baseball's All Star celebration technically got underway yesterday even though they basically buried the Futures Game from existence by playing it concurrent with actual MLB games – Alfredo Duno started, caught 4.0 IP, and hit a 400 foot fly ball to CF that was caught.
Tonight, though, comes the Home Run Derby, and MLB isn't about to take that lightly in the marketing department. In fact, they've gone out of their way to hype the revamped format, and this edition will be carried by Netflix and Netflix only.
The event gets underway at 8 PM ET. It'll feature Red Sox slugger Willson Contreras, Jordan Walker of St. Louis, Jac Caglianone from Kansas City, Munetaka Murakami of the Pale Hose, Yankees slugger Ben Rice, Tampa's Junior Caminero, and a pair of Philadelphia homers in Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper (the event and All Star Game are in Philadelphia, if you weren't aware).
A fun twist this year is that there's no longer a timed clock against which the sluggers must face – this time, they'll get a finite number of swings and the most dingers launched on those swings takes the cake. Longest homer will be the tiebreaker should there be a tie in Round 1, while a three-swing swing-off will break any ties in subsequent rounds.
We'll see if it makes the event more watchable!

The MLB Home Run Derby lineup is set and the St. Louis Cardinals finally have a representative again. Jordan Walker will be competing with 7 others in the competition that will be streaming live on Netflix starting at 6pm central time. Here's the lineup:
Kyle Schwarber (Phillies)
Ben Rice (Yankees)
Junior Caminero (Rays)
Jordan Walker (Cardinals)
Willson Contreras (Red Sox)
Bryce Harper (Phillies)
Munetaka Murakami (White Sox)
Jac Caglianone (Royals)
According to MLB.com, here are the rules for this year's competition:
It is no longer time based
Each competitor gets 20 swings in the 1st round, 15 in the 2nd round and 15 in the 3rd round

The 2026 MLB Home Run Derby is tonight, July 13, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, the home of the Phillies.
What time is the Home Run Derby on Monday? What channel is the Home Run Derby on today?
How can you stream the Home Run Derby tonight?
Check out the TV and streaming information for the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby, which is part of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game festivities.
The Home Run Derby field consists of Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays 3B), Ben Rice (New York Yankees 1B), Jac Caglianone (Kansas City Royals 1B), Willson Contreras (Boston Red Sox 1B), Jordan Walker (St. Louis Cardinals RF), Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies 1B), Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia Phillies DH) and Munetaka Murakami (Chicago White Sox 1B).

Editor's note: Follow the 2026 Home Run Derby live
Eight players are set to face off in the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby at 8 p.m. ET on July 13 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Two Phillies players will participate: Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. The other six are Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Willson Contreras of the Boston Red Sox, Ben Rice of the New York Yankees, Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals and Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox.
Unsurprisingly, that list includes some of baseball's best home run hitters this season. Schwarber leads MLB with 32 homers, while Rice is third with 29 and Caminero is tied for fourth with 28. Four of the remaining five have gone long at least 20 times.
Track all the regular-season home runs belted so far in 2026 by the eight players below. This graphic has their homers laid over Citizens Bank Park, providing a glimpse of how they might fare in the Derby itself: