Junior Caminero suffers apparent quad injury

The Rays top prospect had to be helped off the field

On Sunday afternoon, Junior Caminero was showcasing all of the reasons why he is one of the top prospects in all of baseball. During his first trip to the plate, he launched a solo homerun off of rehabbing Baltimore Orioles ace John Means. Later on in the game, Caminero walked and singled and stole second as part of a double steal. Defensively, Caminero also made a highlight reel worthy play as he made a diving stop and a strong throw to record an out.

Then, in a later at-bat, Caminero scorched a ground ball with a 102 exit velocity right back to the pitcher’s mound that actually knocked the glove off of the pitcher’s hand. Caminero would be easily retired on the play, but he still provided maximum effort sprinting to first base. Unfortunately, as Caminero neared the base, he began to hobble. After passing the base, Caminero limped his way up the line, unable to put any weight down on his left leg. Caminero eventually had to just lay down and allow the training staff to come to him; he would have to be assisted off the field.

Caminero’s injury, which is initially being deemed as ‘left-quad discomfort’ will be further evaluated.

Caminero made his big league debut last season after rocketing through the Rays system with a nearly unparalleled offensive emergence seldom seen within the Rays organization. Over 117 games between High-A and Double-A, Caminero hit .324/.384/.591 with 31 HR over 510 plate appearances.

Caminero just turned 20-years old last July and skipped Triple-A completely in 2023. So, with little roster room available on the active roster, the Rays optioned Caminero to Durham to open the season.