Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Junior Caminero (13) doubles in the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay Rays Rising Star Junior Caminero Joins Exclusive Club in MLB History Books

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Rays on SI | By Sam Connon | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 10:15 AM ET

The Tampa Bay Rays had already gotten all the runs they would need to close out their sweep of the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, but Junior Caminero made history by piling on the damage.

Brandon Lowe had just made it a 3-0 ballgame with a solo shot in the top of the sixth inning when Lowe golfed a 366-foot line drive to left. The ball cleared the fence, giving the Rays back-to-back home runs and a 4-0 lead.

That's where the score would stay, moving Tampa Bay to 46-35 on the season and an MLB-best 25-9 since May 20. As for Caminero, he is now batting .260 with 20 home runs, 17 doubles, 51 RBIs, an .824 OPS and a 1.5 WAR so far this year.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, Caminero became the seventh player since 1920 to record at least 20 home runs and 50 RBIs in his first 76 games of a season prior to turning 22 years old. Cody Bellinger did so most recently in 2017, while the rest of the club is made up of Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Bob Horner, Eddie Matthews and Mel Ott.

Junior Caminero is the 7th player with 20+ HR & 50+ RBI in his first 76 games of a season at 21 or younger (RBI official since 1920), joining:

2017 Cody Bellinger
2001 Albert Pujols
1996 Alex Rodriguez
1979 Bob Horner
1953 Eddie Mathews
1929 Mel Ott https://t.co/zlICGxtnnq
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 26, 2025

The former No. 2 overall prospect in baseball was a .246 hitter with seven home runs, 25 RBIs, a .708 OPS and a 0.8 WAR through his first 50 games in the big leagues between 2023 and 2024. His star turn in the Dominican Winter League this past offseason turned out to be a sign of things to come, though, as Caminero has taken some major steps towards superstardom.

Caminero ranks No. 3 in the American League in home runs, on top of ranking No. 5 in slugging percentage and No. 6 in RBIs. His average bat speed of 78.0 miles per hour is also in the 100th percentile across MLB.

This article first appeared on Tampa Bay Rays on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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