Top Rays Storylines To Follow Through the Last Month

Over at first base, Jonathan Aranda made his first All-Star team in 2025 and leads the team in batting average (.316) and on-base percentage (.394) while sitting just behind Yandy Diaz for the team lead in walks (Diaz: 44, Aranda: 40). Aranda’s certainly been a breakout star in the American League this season and he definitely goes under the radar.

His Baseball Savant page bears plenty of red bubbles to indicate his prestige amongst the league’s best hitters in 2025. He’s under team control until 2030, so the Rays have their first baseman of the future established already. He’ll probably have to move to another spot in the infield, or even the corner outfield, to make way for their #2 and #9-ranked prospects in Xavier Isaac and Tre’ Morgan, according to Just Baseball’s rankings.

This September offers Rays fans an early opportunity to catch a glimpse at the core of the future, one studded with top prospects and young sluggers. Not to mention the prowess of their young outfield core that features the likes of Chandler Simpson, Jake Mangum, and soon JB’s No. 95-ranked prospect in Theo Gillen. The future of the Rays is bright in the Sunshine State, and it’s going to be a treat to watch this young core find its footing at the MLB level this month.

Could Caminero Hit 50?

As previously mentioned, the Rays’ third baseman Junior Caminero has already eclipsed the 40-home run threshold and he might be on his way to the first 50-HR season in franchise history. He already sits alongside Carlos Peña’s 46 home run outburst in 2007 as the only Rays to hit more than 40 in a season, but the young slugger could genuinely set a franchise record and do so in amazing fashion.

Caminero has a generational combination of power and youth in the MLB, sporting the league’s second-best bat speed (78.4 MPH) in just his second full season and sitting just behind power-hitting juggernaut Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates. This contributes to him ranking in the 86th percentile league-wide in barrel rate (13.6%). He also has an average exit velocity of 92.3 MPH off the bat which ranks just outside the top 10% of MLB hitters according to Baseball Savant.

As of September 7, Caminero has 41 home runs and has a good chance to get to 50 before the season’s end. If he’s able to accomplish this he would be the youngest player to ever hit 50 home runs in a season, beating the current holder of this title in Prince Fielder and his 50 home runs in 2007 at the age of 23.

Caminero is one of six(!) hitters in 2025 to reach the 40-home run plateau, and the month or so remaining in the regular season could be enough time for him to get to 50. Better yet, that type of performance in September could catapult the Rays to a postseason appearance, their first since 2023.

Postseason Hopefuls

Speaking of which… The Rays currently sit on the outskirts of the American League playoff picture, but they’re very much in the hunt for one of the AL’s three Wild Card spots. As of September 7, the Rays are three games out of the last Wild Card position with the Cleveland Guardians, Texas Rangers, and Kansas City Royals also within 2.5 games of the same spot.

Going a combined 20-31 in July and August, Tampa Bay is going to have to step up in the month of September to earn themselves a playoff spot this year. They’ve already gone 4-2 in the first week of September so they’re off to a good start, but they need to keep pace with some of the American League’s best teams to keep in consideration for the postseason.

Only two of the Rays’ remaining seven series are against teams that are not within strong striking range of a playoff spot (Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles). They have two series against the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays (82-60) and one series against the Boston Red Sox (78-65) as well as a three-game set against the 81-61 Chicago Cubs in the midst of a dominant run in the NL Central.

It’s safe to say that the Rays have one of the league’s toughest September schedules, but if they can make the right adjustments and have the right players succeed over the next month or so they’ll be one of the AL’s six playoff teams. It’d be tough to do, but this young team could certainly be the one to do it.

Closing Thoughts

In what has been a season of many ups and downs for the Rays, they’ve had some of the most interesting storylines in the league in 2025. From Junior Caminero chasing 50 home runs to the infield of the future getting a chance to unite at the MLB level, Tampa Bay has some interesting baseball ahead of them over the next month or so.

Young players like Caminero, Jonathan Aranda, Carson Williams, and Chandler Simpson have been and will be crucial to the team’s success this year and over the next few seasons. In an American League East division that’s very likely to produce three other playoff teams in the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Red Sox, the Rays are fighting an uphill battle as a team built by young talent.

Whether they make the playoffs or not in 2025, they are one of the most exciting and surprising teams in the league. Going forward, everyone’s eyes should be on the future success of the Tampa Bay Rays and the waves that they’re going to make in their division and the AL as a whole over the next half-decade or so. There’s a good chance they’ll become your favourite team to hate because of how good they’ll be, so buckle up, AL East fans.