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Prospect Spotlight: Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero Will Start 2024 In Triple-A

 Matt Tallarini  |    Mar 28th, 2024 6:53pm EDT

Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays looks on during the 2024 Spring Breakout Game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Minnesota Twins on March 16, 2024 at the Lee County Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)

The Tampa Bay Rays sent down third baseman Junior Caminero to Triple-A Durham back on March 11, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported. 

Caminero, 20, was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and is ranked as the No. 4 prospect on MLBpipeline.com. 

Caminero is ranked No. 1 in the Rays farm system on MLBpipeline.com and could possibly see an opportunity with the Major League club at some point in 2024. 

Before he was assigned to minor league camp, Caminero batted .269 in nine spring training games with seven hits, one double, one home run, four RBI, one walk, and four strikeouts. 

Caminero played in six games and made five starts at third base in spring training, and in 34 innings had 10 total chances, four putouts, six assists, and no errors. He was assigned to minor league camp on March 14. 

Caminero played in 21 games during the 2023-24 LIDOM season with the Leones del Escogido and batted .333 with 29 hits, six doubles, five home runs, 15 RBI, two stolen bases, four walks, and 19 strikeouts. 

Last season, Caminero played in 117 games between High-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery and hit .324 over 510 plate appearances with 149 hits, 18 doubles, six triples, 31 home runs, 94 RBI, five stolen bases, 42 walks, 100 strikeouts, and a .976 OPS before the Rays called him up on Sept. 22. 

Caminero made his MLB Debut with the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 23 at home against the Toronto Blue Jays and recorded one hit in four at-bats with one walk and one strikeout. 

He played in seven games with the Raysin 2023 and hit .235 with eight hits, one double, one home run, seven RBI, two walks, and eight strikeouts.

In the 2022-23 winter league season, Caminero played in 39 games with the Perth Heat in the Australian Baseball League and batted .303 with 47 hits, four doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 37 RBI, six stolen bases, 15 walks, and 31 strikeouts. 

During the 2022 season, Caminero split his time between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Charleston, playing in 63 games and hitting .314 with 75 hits, seven doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 51 RBI, 12 stolen bases, 23 walks, 43 strikeouts, and a .882 OPS. 

Cleveland traded Caminero to Tampa Bay on Nov, 19, 2021 in exchange for right-handed pitcher Tobias Myers. 

The Durham Bulls will play against the Norfolk Tides, the Baltimore Orioles affiliate on March 29 on the road at 6:35 p.m. EST at Harbor Park. The game will be streamed on MiLB.com with a paid subscription, and MLB.tv will also include all televised minor league games on their website with a paid subscription.